Vector 610 accident near Turners Falls, Massachusetts, May 11, 1983
On May 11, 1983 at about 10:05 pm local time, a Vector 610 (ultralight), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Turners Falls, Massachusetts. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- May 11, 1983 · about 10:05 pm local time
- Place
- Turners Falls, Massachusetts
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Vector 610, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 1244
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON 4/18/83, THE ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED BY HIGH WINDS. THIS NECESSITATED THE REPLACEMENT OF THE FRONT & REAR SPARS AS WELL AS THE BATTENS WHICH PROVIDED CURVATURE TO THE UPPER WING SURFACE. PRIOR TO A TEST FLT, A WEIGHTED TAIL WHEEL WAS ALSO INSTALLED. SUBSEQUENTLY, A TEST PLT TOOK OFF TO EVALUATE THE ULTRALIGHT. WITNESSES OBSERVED THAT THE PLT CLIMBED TO ABOUT 1000 FT, THEN BEGAN A SERIES OF MANEUVERS. WHILE PERFORMING A MANEUVER, SIMILAR TO A LAZY 8, WITH BANK ANGLES UP TO 60 TO 90 DEG, THE ULTRALIGHT'S LEFT WING FOLDED. THE VEHICLE THEN ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLEDDESCENT & CRASHED. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE AFT SPAR TIP HAD ROTATED AROUND THE AFT SPAR IN SUCH A MANNER THAT THE OUTBOARD WING PANEL HAD BENT DOWN & REARWARD. HOLES HAD NOT BEEN DRILLED & STEEL POP RIVETS HAD NOT BEEN INSTALLED, PER INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS, TO PREVENT THE SPAR TIP FROM ROTATING. ALSO, THE PLT'S BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL WAS FOUND TO BE 95 MG%. THE TEST PLT ALSO PERFORMED MAINTENANCE ON THE ULTRALIGHT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,480 hours in all; 96 in this make and model; 57 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 2,330 as pilot in command; 7 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 70 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 445 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Zenoah G25B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; not recorded at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from BAF, 27 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.