Amateur-built RALLY III accident near Seven Points, Texas, June 16, 1983
On June 16, 1983 at about 11:30 pm local time, a amateur-built RALLY III (ultralight), registered N148RE, was destroyed in an accident near Seven Points, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 1983 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Seven Points, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RALLY III
- Registration
- N148RE · no longer on the register · serial 25208
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
REPORTEDLY, THE PLT HAD PREVIOUSLY FLOWN IN A ROTEC RALLEY III ULTRALIGHT, BUT HANDLED THE CONTROLS FOR ONLY A FEW MINUTES. AFTER ASSEMBLING THIS ULTRALIGHT, N148RE, FROM A KIT, HE MADE THE NECESSARY GROUND CHECKS & PREFLT INSPECTION, THEN TOOK OFF ON THE 1ST TEST FLT. AFTER TAKEOFF, HE STARTED A LEFT TURN. WHILE IN THE TURN, HE ALLOWED THE AIRSPEED TO DECREASE & THE LEFT WING BEGAN TO STALL. HOWEVER, AT THIS POINT, HE BECAME CONFUSED ABOUT THE OPERATION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS & PULLED BACK ON THE STICK INSTEAD OF PUSHING IT FORWARD. THIS RESULTED IN A FULL STALL. BEFORE HE COULD RECOVER FROM THE STALL, THE ULTRALIGHT CRASHED IN A NOSE LOW, LEFT WING DOWN ATTITUDE. THE ROTEC RALLY III WAS EQUIPPED WITH AN OVERHEAD CONTROL STICK. THE PLT WAS ACCUSTOMED TO FLYING CONVENTIONAL ACFT WITH A STICK ON THE FLOOR. HE STATED THERE WAS NO MECHANICAL FAILURE OF THE ACFT & THAT IT PERFORMED WELL.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,003 hours in all; 3,003 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 48 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.