Condor Aircraft CONDOR III accident near Hockley, Texas, April 19, 1985
On April 19, 1985, a Condor Aircraft CONDOR III (ultralight), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Hockley, Texas. It was a personal flight under ultralight rules (Part 103). 2 people were killed. 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
- April 19, 1985
- Place
- Hockley, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Condor Aircraft CONDOR III, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial UKN
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN IN A NEAR VERTICAL DESCENT. WITNESSES STATED THE ULTRALIGHT WAS AIRBORNE FOR APRX 5 MINUTES BEFORE A LOUD 'POP' WAS HEARD AND IT ENTERED A STEEP NOSE DOWN SPIRAL. INSPECTION OF THE ULTRALIGHT REVEALED A FAILED BOLT IN THE REAR SPAR OF THE LEFT WING. THE BOLT WAS INTENDED TO HOLD A BRACE BETWEEN THE REAR WING SPAR AND THE FRONT WING SPAR, AND ALSO A BRACE FROM THE LEFT REAR WING SPAR TO THE TAIL SECTION.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kawasaki TA440A030530 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 am from IAH, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.