Robertson BIRD accident near Milan, New Hampshire, September 25, 1983
On September 25, 1983 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Robertson BIRD (ultralight), registered UNREG, suffered minor damage in an accident near Milan, New Hampshire (Berlin Airport). It was a personal flight under ultralight rules (Part 103). 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
- September 25, 1983 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Milan, New Hampshire · Berlin Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robertson BIRD
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, HE HAD JUST PURCHASED THE ULTRALIGHT ON THE PREVIOUS DAY & HAD NO PREVIOUS TRAINING IN ULTRALIGHTS. ON HIS 2ND FLT IN THE VEHICLE, HE LANDED HARD, THE TUBULAR STRUCTURE TO THE RIGHT GEAR COLLAPSED & THE LOWER SEAT SUPPORT CONTACTED THE GROUND. THE VERTICAL LOAD WAS TRANSMITTED TO THE PLT'S SEAT & THE PLT RECEIVED A SERIOUS SPINAL INJURY.
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: 500 hours in all; 2 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cuyuna 430-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.