Amateur-built MONERI S accident near Lapeer, Michigan, September 7, 1983
On September 7, 1983 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built MONERI S (glider), registered N275HW, was destroyed in an accident near Lapeer, Michigan (Dupont Lapeer 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 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 7, 1983 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lapeer, Michigan · Dupont Lapeer · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MONERI S
- Registration
- N275HW · no longer on the register · serial 275
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE GLIDER COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND AFTER AN UNSCHEDULED TOW RELEASE AT ABOUT 150 FT AGL.THIS WAS THE PLTS FIRST FLT IN THIS ACFT AFTER HAVING THE ENGINE REMOVED AND THE ACFT RECERTIFIED AS A GLIDER. GROUND PERSONNEL OBSERVED THE GLIDER AND TOW PILOT RELEASE THE TOW ROPE AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME. THE GLIDER'S BANK ANGLE CONTINUED TO INCREASE AND THE NOSE DROPPED. THE GLIDER CONTINUED IN THIS ATTITUDE UNTIL THE LEFT WING TIP STRUCK THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO PRE-IMPACT MALFUNCTION/FAILURE.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 18 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 927 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, August 31, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 450 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,925 ft by 175 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.
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.