Amateur-built RITZ MODEL A accident near Macclenny, Florida, March 8, 1984
On March 8, 1984 at about 6:50 pm local time, a amateur-built RITZ MODEL A (ultralight), registered UNREG, was involved in an accident near Macclenny, 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 8, 1984 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Macclenny, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RITZ MODEL A RITZ MODEL
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ULTRALIGHT NOSED DOWN AND DOVE INTO THE GROUND FROM CRUISE FLT. ENGINE SOUND INCREASED DURING THE DIVE. FROM 200 FT AGL TO THE GROUND IMPACT. NO MALFUNCTIONS IN EQUIPMENT WERE FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION. THE PLT HAD A HISTORY OF DIZZINESS FROM A HEAD INJURY RECEIVED IN A PRIOR TRUCK ACCIDENT. THE FAMILY WOULD NOT ALLOW A REVIEW OF MEDICAL RECORDS.MEDICAL EXAMINATION OF THE PLTS BODY REVEALED NOTHING OF SIGNIFICANCE TO THE ACCIDENT.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown (expired)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, March 8, 1984; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 485 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Zenoah 20 HP (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 32.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:48 pm from JAX, 25 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.