World Wide Industries SPIT FIRE #2 accident near Caldwell, Idaho, January 15, 1986
On January 15, 1986 at about 5:15 pm local time, a World Wide Industries SPIT FIRE #2, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Caldwell, Idaho (Caldwell Industrial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- January 15, 1986 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Caldwell, Idaho · Caldwell Industrial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- World Wide Industries SPIT FIRE #2 SPIT FIRE
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF THIS ULTRALIGHT SAID THERE WAS A LOSS OF ENGINE RPM. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN DAMAGED DURING AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED BUT THE PASSENGER RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES. THIS ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT DID NOT MEET THE CRITERIA FOR REGISTRATION EXEMPTION AND WAS CONSIDERED AN UNCERTIFIED EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT. NO REASON FOR THE POWER LOSS WAS DETERMINED DURING A SUCCESSFUL POST ACCIDENT ENGINE RUN.
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
- Flight time: 105 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 150 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax UNK (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U-35 Caldwell ID at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 4,700 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.