Slingsby DART T-51 accident near Whitwell, Tennessee, March 20, 1988
On March 20, 1988 at about 6:02 pm local time, a Slingsby DART T-51 (glider), registered N209K, was destroyed in an accident near Whitwell, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- March 20, 1988 · about 6:02 pm local time
- Place
- Whitwell, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Slingsby DART T-51
- Registration
- N209K · registry record · serial 1498
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE GLIDER WAS OBSERVED TO MAKE A NORMAL RELEASE. WHILE STILL IN A TURN IT ENCOUNTERED A WIND SHEAR AND ROLLED INTO A VERTICAL BANK. IT SIDESLIPPED FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN THE NOSE DROPPED INTO A VERTICAL DIVE. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO PULL OUT INTO LEVEL FLIGHT THE ACFT BROKE APART. THE PLT USED THE PARACHUTE AND RECEIVED A BROKEN ANKLE. THE PRIVATE PILOT TEST STANDARD DOES NOT ADDRESS HIGH SPEED UNUSUAL ATTITUDE RECOVERIES IN GLIDERS.
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: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 101 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 57 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,327 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1987; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 815 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TN89 at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from CSV, 46 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.
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.