Centrair 101 accident near Vacaville, California, September 25, 1988
On September 25, 1988 at about 1:45 am local time, a Centrair 101 (glider), registered N101LV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vacaville, California. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1988 · about 1:45 am local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Vacaville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Centrair 101 · all 101s on the register
- Registration
- N101LV · registry record · serial 61P076080633
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT FLEW OVER A FIELD AT 700 FT. A.G.L. TO SEE IF IT WAS SAFE FOR LANDING. HE TURNED THE GLIDER TO ESTABLISH A DOWNWIND LEG. HE THEN TURNED TO THE BASE LEG. WHILE TURNING ONTO FINAL APPROACH AT A LOW ALTITUDE, THE GLIDER PITCHED UP AND ROLLED TO THE LEFT. THE LEFT WINGTIP COLLIDED WITH THE FIELD. THE GLIDER ROTATED 180 DEGREES AND COLLIDED WITH THE FIELD. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE WINDS WERE CALM, HOWEVER, THE WINDS AT FAIRFIELD, CA, 13 MILES SE OF THE ACCIDENT SITE, WERE REPORTED TO BE FROM 240 DEGREES AT 24 KNOTS GUSTING TO 28 KNOTS.
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: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 78 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 37 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 045 Vacaville CA at 10:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 240° at 24 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Observation at 1:55 am from SUU, 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 N101LV the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N101LV on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Centrair 101 37 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Centrair 37 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,134 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N101LV 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX88LA328.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.