Schleicher K-8B accident near Miami, Florida, March 7, 1988
On March 7, 1988 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Schleicher K-8B (glider), registered N4663S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miami, Florida. 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
- March 7, 1988 · about 9:30 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Miami, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher K-8B · all K-8Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4663S · registry record · serial 8213
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT HE HAD PLACED THE GLIDER INTO A MILD DIVE & WAS INDICATING 90 TO 95 MPH, WELL BELOW REDLINE SPEED WHEN THE WHOLE SECTION OF THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE WING FROM THE AFT SPAR & WING ROOT OUT TO A DIST OF ABOUT 6 FT, SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT. THE PLT WAS ABLE TO LAND WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE FAILED PIECES FELL FROM THE ACFT & WERE NOT RECOVERED, AN EXAM OF THE WING ROOT RIB REVEALED THAT IT HAD FAILED. THE WING SPOILER ATTACH BRACKET FOR THE SPOILER BELLCRANK IS ATTACHED TO THE FAILED RIB. THE PLT STATED THAT THE SPOILERS FLEW OPEN INADVERTENTLY DURING OR IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE REASON FOR THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE ACFT IS CONSTRUCTED ENTIRELY OF WOOD.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,518 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,957 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 4, 1987; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 684 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sunspot Soaring, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 6X5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from TMB, 10 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4663S on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schleicher K 8 20 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schleicher 506 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 984 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,709 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MIA88LA121.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.