Amateur-built FOXBAT accident near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, March 20, 1983
On March 20, 1983 at about 12:50 pm local time, a amateur-built FOXBAT (ultralight), registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 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
- March 20, 1983 · about 12:50 pm local time
- Place
- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built FOXBAT
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
REPORTEDLY, THE PLT HAD RECEIVED ABOUT 5 HRS OF GROUND HANDLING INSTUCTIONS BEFORE HE FLEW THE FOXBAT, ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE. THE ULTRALIGHT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A WEIGHT SHIFT CONTROL SYS. WHILE LANDING ON HIS 1ST FLT WITH THIS VEHICLE, IT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE PLT FAILED TO ARREST THE RATE OF DESCENT WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE FLARED TO LAND. ACCORDING TO RELATIVES, THE PLT HAD ABOUT 93 HOURS OF PREVIOUS FLT TIME, BUT THIS WAS HIS 1ST FLT IN A WEIGHT SHIFT ULTRALIGHT. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE PLT HAD HIS SEAT BELT FASTENED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FLT; HOWEVER, THE SEAT BELT WAS FOUND UNBUCKLED. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE AREA REVEALED THE PLT WAS EJECTED FROM THE SEAT DURING THE CRASH SEQUENCE & WAS FATALLY INJURED BY THE PROPELLER. TESTING OF THE SEAT BELT REVEALED THAT IT WOULD RELEASE WHEN SUBJECTED TO A SUDDEN PULL.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 93 hours in all; 55 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 552 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cuyuna 430 CC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 1,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 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.
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.