Amateur-built PW-5 accident near Waller, Texas, September 23, 1998
On September 23, 1998 at about 8:19 pm local time, a amateur-built PW-5 (glider), registered N110WN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waller, Texas. 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 pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 1998 · about 8:19 pm local time
- Place
- Waller, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PW-5
- Registration
- N110WN · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The amateur-built experimental glider collided with terrain during the final approach to landing in a pasture. During the cross-country flight, the pilot/builder had radioed to the driver of his ground chase vehicle that he was too low to continue towards his intended destination. The pilot further radioed that he had selected a pasture and was 'landing out.' A witness, who was seated on the front porch of his house, observed the glider coming toward him. The glider made a 'sharp' left turn away from the house, the left wing tip struck the ground, and the left wing separated. The nose of the glider then impacted the ground 'hard at a fairly steep angle,' and the glider slid to a stop. The pilot had a total flight time in gliders of 1,661 hours, of which 15 hours were in the accident glider.
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: single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,262 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CFD Bryan TX at 6:50 pm
- Destination: 89TA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from CLL, 30 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.