Mitchell A-10 accident near Tulare, California, April 7, 1983
On April 7, 1983 at about 1:48 am local time, a Mitchell A-10 (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Tulare, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under ultralight rules (Part 103). 1 person was 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 7, 1983 · about 1:48 am local time
- Place
- Tulare, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mitchell A-10
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 102
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ULTRALIGHT WAS ON A DEMONSTRATION FLT. REPORTEDLY, THE PLT MADE A PASS DOWN THE RWY, THEN HAD TURNED DOWNWIND AT 400 TO 500 FT, WHEN WITNESSES HEARD A LOUD BANG OR CRACK & SAW THE WINGS OF THE VEHICLE FOLD. THE ULTRALIGHT THEN ENTERED A SPIRAL & CRASHED IN A CANAL. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE WING HAD FOLDED DOWNWARD. COMPRESSION BUCKLING HAD OCCURRED AT THE WING CENTER SECTION. ALSO, THE MYLAR SKIN WAS FOUND SEPARATED FROM THE TOP & BOTTOM OF THE WING CENTER SECTION AT THE BONDED ATTACH AREAS. ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER, LOSS OF THE MYLAR SKIN ON THE TOP OF THE WING WOULD RESULT IN AN AFT SHIFT IN THE CENTER OF PRESSURE & CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO PITCH FORWARD. WITNESSES THOUGHT THAT THE WINGS HAD FOLDED UPWARD, BUT THE INVESTIGATION VERIFIED THAT THEY FAILED IN A NEGATIVE MODE. AFTER THIS OCCURRENCE, THE MYLAR MATERIAL ON THE MITCHELL A-10 VEHICLES WAS REPLACED WITH CECONITE COVERING & WAS RIVETED IN PLACE WITH ALUMINUM BATTENS.ALTHOUGH THE PROTOTYPE HAD BALANCE WTS, THEY HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM PRODUCTION MODELS TO ELIMINATE WT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 12,490 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 102 in the last 90 days; 12,365 as pilot in command; 9,719 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Zenoah A-25-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.