As+ Ltd. AC 4 accident near Hartford, Wisconsin, May 18, 1996
On May 18, 1996 at about 8:00 pm local time, a As+ Ltd. AC 4 (glider), registered N29HS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hartford, Wisconsin. 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
lack of airspeed control by the pilot, while maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 18, 1996 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hartford, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- As+ Ltd. AC 4
- Registration
- N29HS · registry record · serial 021
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing aerobatic maneuvers in the glider. He reported that after executing a loop, he entered the glider into a spin. The pilot wrote that during the recovery from the spin the airspeed went above the never exceed velocity for the glider, and the glider developed severe airframe flutter. The pilot exited the glider at approximately 2,070 feet mean sea level, and deployed the parachute which he was wearing. The glider's composite skins on the horizontal stabilizer, elevator, left wing and fuselage sustained skin wrinkling and were delaminated in the accident.
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: 405 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 339 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 10, 1996; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 551 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HXF
- Destination: HXF
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 13 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:36 pm from UNU, 15 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.