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Accidents · NTSB CEN16LA007 · Final report

Amateur-built WOODSTOCK I accident near Decatur, Texas, October 11, 2015

On October 11, 2015, a 1999 amateur-built WOODSTOCK I (glider), registered N21468, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern base) near Decatur, Texas (Decatur Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while turning from the downwind to the base leg of the pattern in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in the glider exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and entering an aerodynamic stall/spin at a low altitude.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
October 11, 2015
Place
Decatur, Texas · Decatur Muni · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Amateur-built WOODSTOCK I NO SERIES, built 1999
Registration
N21468 · no longer on the register · serial 001
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot of the glider received a tow to altitude about 1430; about 30 minutes later, the glider was seen maneuvering between 3,000 and 4,000 ft several miles from the airport. When the glider did not return by sunset (civil twilight was 1926), it was reported missing, and the wreckage was subsequently located near the approach end of the runway several hours later. During postaccident examination, no preimpact anomalies with the glider were noted. The elevator trim was displaced, consistent with a nose-up trim setting or for slow airspeed. Impact damage, the orientation of the wreckage, and ground scar signatures were consistent with the glider being in a stall/spin before impact, on an approximate downwind-to-base leg of the traffic pattern. While the time of the accident is unknown, wind averaging about 12 knots with gusts to 18 knots, existed at the airport until about 1755. An autopsy found no evidence of medical impairment of the pilot. Although toxicological testing was positive for two medications that the pilot had previously reported to the Federal Aviation Administration, the presence of the medication was deemed not to pose a hazard to flight safety. The circumstances of the accident were consistent with the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and angle-of-attack as the glider turned from the downwind to the base leg of the traffic pattern, and the glider's subsequent stall/spin. It is possible that the gusting wind may have contributed to the pilot's failure to maintain control of the glider.

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

What happened, in order

  1. Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR pattern base) defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot

Pilot

  • Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
  • Flight time: 1,030 hours in all
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: sngl
  • Injury: fatal

The aircraft

  • Landing gear: fixed

The flight

  • Departed from: LUD Decatur TX at 7:30 pm
  • Destination: LUD Decatur TX
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 17, 4,200 ft by 60 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 190° at 12 knots, gusting 18
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
  • Observation at 9:55 pm from KLUD

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

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 N21468 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time

2001-10-02NYC02LA004 · accident near Waynesburg, PA · minor damage · serious injuries

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.