Hall HP-18 accident near Westcliffe, Colorado, June 13, 1988
On June 13, 1988 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Hall HP-18 (glider), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N81940, was substantially damaged in an accident near Westcliffe, Colorado (Lake Creek airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- June 13, 1988 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Westcliffe, Colorado · Lake Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hall HP-18, amateur-built
- Registration
- N81940 · no longer on the register · serial 92
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT SAID HIS GLIDER WAS BEING TOWED FOR TAKEOFF FROM A DRY, DUSTY, GRASS STRIP. HE SAID THE TOW PLANE BLEW UP THE DUST AND HE WAS UNABLE TO SEE TO MAINTAIN ALIGNMENT WITH THE 75 FT WIDE STRIP. THERE WAS A DROP OFF ON THE LT SIDE OF THE STRIP AND TALL GRASS ALONG THE RT SIDE. THE ACFT DRIFTED TO THE RT, THE RT WING HIT THE TALL GRASS AND THE ACFT SPUN AROUND RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE TAIL.
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: 621 hours in all; 91 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 577 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 90 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1988; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown UNKNOWN (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- 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.