Amateur-built MARSKE-MONARCH 1997 accident near Sutton, West Virginia, September 6, 1997
On September 6, 1997 at about 6:19 pm local time, a amateur-built MARSKE-MONARCH 1997 (glider), registered N5377, was destroyed in an accident near Sutton, West Virginia (Braxton CO airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. A related factors was the pilot lack of familiarity with the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 1997 · about 6:19 pm local time
- Place
- Sutton, West Virginia · Braxton CO · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MARSKE-MONARCH 1997 MARSKE-MON
- Registration
- N5377 · registry record · serial 02
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the glider was towed to 500 feet AGL, and released. He said that when he started his turn, the left wing dropped, and the glider entered a spin to the left. He applied opposite rudder, and the glider recovered after two turns. He said shortly thereafter he became disoriented, and does not remember anything else. A witness said that the glider entered another spin, about 100 feet AGL, and struck the ground at the approach end of runway 01. The pilot reported over 10 hours in gliders including 1 hour in make and model. He reported that there was no mechanical malfunction with the glider. According to the FAA, the glider was being flight tested, and had flown six times on the day of 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: 312 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 1997; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 48I
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 4,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from EKN, 45 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.