Windward OWL accident near Starkville, Mississippi, October 18, 2006
On October 18, 2006 at about 8:09 pm local time, a Windward OWL (glider), registered N401MS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Starkville, Mississippi (Starkville/George M. Bryan airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The structural failure of the airframe due to the inadvertent excessive airspeed during maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2006 · about 8:09 pm local time
- Place
- Starkville, Mississippi · Starkville/George M. Bryan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Windward OWL
- Registration
- N401MS · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot lost control of the experimental glider during a test flight, following the in-flight separation of both wings. The pilot was ejected from the disabled glider and was able to deploy his emergency parachute for a safe landing. The operator reported that the glider was towed to a pressure altitude of 12,000-feet by a Cessna tow-plane. During the test flight sequence, the aircraft experienced an in-flight break-up when both wings separated from the fuselage while maneuvering at 7,675 feet. Prior tests on the glider indicated the wing flutter speed was approximately 169 knots. The experimental glider was also equipped with an on-board flight data recording system that sent data to a ground station during the test flight. Post flight analysis of the data indicated that during the nose down attitude, the wings separated from the airframe at approximately 162 knots. The flight engineer stated that the glider was equipped with an airspeed indicator that indicated a maximum airspeed of 105 knots. The stop-point for the airspeed indicator was just beyond the maximum indicated airspeed. The pilot was unaware that the "never exceed" speed of 123 knots had been breached during the descent. The glider was reported to have been equipped with a ballistic recovery system (BRS) parachute, which was successfully deployed. The fuselage of the glider came to rest approximately 2.5 miles northeast of the airport.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,696 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 8,370 as pilot in command; 970 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 484 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
- Operator: Mississippi State University
The flight
- Departed from: KSTF Starkville MS at 7:44 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from KGTR, 13 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.
Other NTSB records under N401MS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.