Amateur-built J3 accident near Miami, Florida, November 12, 1983
On November 12, 1983 at about 10:00 pm local time, a amateur-built J3 (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Miami, 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
- November 12, 1983 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built J3
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SEVERAL WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE FLYING IN A SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION AT ABOUT 1500 FT AGL. THEY REPORTED THAT THE PLT HAD EXECUTED 5 OR 6 STALL MANEUVERS, FOLLOWED BY NORMAL STRAIGHT AHEAD RECOVERIES. DURING THE LAST STALL, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED IN A STEEPER THAN NORMAL CLIMB ANGLE, THEN FELL OFF AT THE TOP OF THE MANEUVER & ENTER A DIVE IN A SLIGHTLY INVERTED ATTITUDE. MOMENTS LATER, THE WINGS FOLDED & THE ULTRALIGHT CRASHED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE UPPER KING POST HAD COLLAPSED. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHEN NEGATIVE AERODYNAMIC LOADS WERE ENCOUNTERED.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 5 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kawasaki 440 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:46 pm from TMB, 5 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.