Amateur-built SPORT DAL-1 accident near Lagrange, New York, April 25, 1982
On April 25, 1982 at about 8:30 pm local time, a amateur-built SPORT DAL-1, registered N1796, was destroyed in an accident near Lagrange, New York. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- April 25, 1982 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lagrange, New York
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SPORT DAL-1 SPORT DAL-
- Registration
- N1796 · registry record · serial 206
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE OWNER/PILOT OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS A PHOTOGRAPHER WITH AN AMPUTATION ABOVE HIS LEFT WRIST. HIS CLASS III MEDICAL CERTIFICATE STATED THAT HE MUST WEAR AN ARTIFICAL LIMB WHILE FLYING. THE PILOT HAD BEEN ASKED TO PHOTOGRAPH A BUILDING IN AN INDUSTRIAL PARK. AFTER HE TOOK OFF WITH HIS 9 YR OLD SON, THE PLANE WAS OBSERVED CIRCLING THE INDUSTRIAL PARK AT LOW ALTITUDE AND LOW AIRSPEED. ONE WITNESS ESTIMATED THE ALTITUDE WAS 200 TO 300 FT AGL. REPORTEDLY ON ITS LAST PASS, THE PLANE'S LEFT WING DROPPED, THE WING CONTINUED TO FALL, AND SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PLANE ROLLED AND CRASHED. AFTER HITTING THE GROUND, IT TRAVELED 58 FT AND HIT A BULDING. FILM FROM THE PILOT'S CAMERA WAS RECOVERED AND DEVELOPED. PICTURES OF THE BUILDINGS VERIFIED THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHS HAD BEEN TAKEN AT A LOW ALTITUDE.
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: 242 hours in all; 242 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 158 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 289 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Poughkeepsie NY at 3:00 pm
- Destination: Poughkeepsie NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 149°F (65°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.