Delts Wing Kites LAZOR 170 accident near El Mirage, California, November 5, 1983
On November 5, 1983 at about 5:59 pm local time, a Delts Wing Kites LAZOR 170 (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near El Mirage, California. It was a personal flight 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
- November 5, 1983 · about 5:59 pm local time
- Place
- El Mirage, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Delts Wing Kites LAZOR 170
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 104
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE WEIGHT SHIFT CONTROLLED, ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE HAD JUST RECENTLY BEEN BUILT. THE OWNER & THE PLT HAD AGREED THAT THEY WOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO FLY THE VEHICLE ON THE INITIAL TEST. THE PLT WAS OBSERVED TAXIING EXCESSIVELY FAST, AND REPORTEDLY, HE MADE 1 OR 2 GROUND LOOPS WHILE TAXIING. AFTER HE TAXIED THE VEHICLE APRX 1/2 TO 1 HR, IT BECAME AIRBORNE. THE OWNER REPORTED THAT AFTER LIFT-OFF, THE VEHICLE LEVELED OUT AT ABOUT 50 AGL, THEN WENT ALMOST STRAIGHT UP TO APRX 100 TO 150 FT. IT THEN TURNED & ENTERED A DESCENT & CRASHED IN A NEARLY STRAIGHT-DOWN ATTITUDE. ANOTHER PLT HAD TEST FLOWN THE VEHICLE EARLIER IN THE DAY. HE REPORTED THAT THE CONTROLS RESPONDED NORMALLY. THE PLT THAT WAS INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT HAD A BALLOON RATING & WAS INDORSED FOR SOLO FLTS IN A CESSNA 172; HOWEVER, HE HAD NO PREVIOUS ULTRALIGHT EXPERIENCE.
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: 65 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 12 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Robin EC34PM (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from EDW, 20 miles away
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.