Centrair 101A accident near Springfield, Vermont, August 16, 2025
On August 16, 2025 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Centrair 101A (glider), registered N99KG, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Springfield, Vermont (Hartness State Airport (Spring). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to assemble the glider’s elevator control before takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2025 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Springfield, Vermont · Hartness State Airport (Spring · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Centrair 101A · all 101As on the register
- Registration
- N99KG · registry record · serial 101A0225
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During his preflight assembly of the glider, the pilot got distracted and failed to connect the elevator control. During the subsequent takeoff, once the glider became airborne, the pilot realized there was no elevator control and immediately released himself from the tow airplane. The glider nosed down and impacted the ground resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom.
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
- Flight control sys malf/fail during takeoff defining event
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Elevator control system › Not installed/available
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 26,000 hours in all; 653 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 14,000 as pilot in command; 4,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 5, 2021
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 919.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 2025
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None (none); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 5,501 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.08 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from KVSF
Weather report (METAR): KVSF 161754Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM FEW070 SCT090 28/18 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP185 T02830178 10294 20150 56023
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA25LA303.