Cgs Aviation HAWK accident near Richland, Washington, September 20, 1983
On September 20, 1983 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cgs Aviation HAWK (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Richland, Washington (Richland 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 20, 1983 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Richland, Washington · Richland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cgs Aviation HAWK
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial H5 152K
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER BEING ASSEMBLED, THE ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE WAS TAXI TESTED, AND ON 9/19/83, IT WAS FLOWN ON ITS 1ST FLT. THE NEXT MORNING IT WAS TAXI TESTED AGAIN. AT APRX 0855 PDT, THE PLT TOOK OFF ON A LOCAL FLT. AT APRX 0945, AFTER MAKING A TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING, THE PLT WAS TURNING FINAL FOR ANOTHER LANDING WHEN THE ULTRALIGHT BEGAN AN UNCOMMANDED, SMOOTH, LEFT ROLL AT ABOUT 200 TO 300 FT AGL. CORRECTIVE AILERON WAS APPLIED, BUT THE ULTRALIGHT CONTINUED TO ROLL LEFT & SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. AN EXAM REVEALED THERE WAS CONTINUITY TO ALL FLT CONTROLS. BOTH WINGS & THE FUSELAGE TUBE WERE DAMAGED DURING THE ACCIDENT. THE LEFT WING TRAILING EDGE TUBE HAD FAILED AT A BOLT HOLE WHERE THE LEFT REAR STRUT BRACKETS WERE INSTALLED. ADDITIONAL WASHERS HAD BEEN INSTALLED ON THE BOLT & THE SELF LOCKING NUT HAD BEEN TORQUED UNTIL THE THREADS ON THE NUT WERE BEYOND THE THREADED PORTION OF THE BOLT. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE REAR SPAR HAD SEPARATED & THE BOLT HAD ROTATED APRX 20 DEG PRIOR TO IMPACT. NO AIRSPEED IND INSTALLED.
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: 7 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 530 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kawasaki 440/2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 3,995 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from PSC, 8 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.