Amateur-built Delta Wing Kite Trik accident near Odessa, Florida, July 28, 2003
On July 28, 2003 at about 9:10 pm local time, a amateur-built Delta Wing Kite Trik, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Odessa, Florida (Tampa Bay Executive airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper assembly and failure to connect a bolt following an attempted modification that resulted in airframe malfunction, and uncontrolled descent, and an impact with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 2003 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Odessa, Florida · Tampa Bay Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Delta Wing Kite Trik
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A close friend of the pilot who witnessed the accident stated that the pilot had just finished installing a training bar, so that the aircraft could be controlled from the back seat when he was giving flight instruction, and the witness further stated that the pilot was taking the aircraft for a test flight. According to witnesses, during the flight, the aircraft departed to the west, and climbed to about 100 feet, when all of a sudden the wings folded up vertically, and the aircraft spun, descended, and impacted the ground. The witnesses also said that they did not notice any change in the sound of the engine throughout the flight's duration. An FAA inspector who responded to the scene of the accident stated that examination of the unregistered aircraft showed that the left hand attach fitting had not been properly attached to the left hand end of the horizontal control bar, which caused the wings to fold upward.
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
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax M5446167 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3FD1 Odessa LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 5,001 ft by 48 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; a few clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from TPA
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.