Start & Flug H101 SALTO accident near Winter Haven, Florida, April 3, 1988
On April 3, 1988 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Start & Flug H101 SALTO (glider), registered N999WC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Winter Haven, Florida (Winter Haven'S Gilbert airport). 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 1988 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Winter Haven, Florida · Winter Haven'S Gilbert · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Start & Flug H101 SALTO
- Registration
- N999WC · no longer on the register · serial 56
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT ENTERED THE DOWNWIND LEG FOR LANDING WHEN THE PLT OBSERVED A GLIDER PARKED 600 FT FROM THE PLANNED TOUCHDOWN POINT. HE ELECTED TO LAND TO THE LEFT OF THE GLIDER & AFTER TURNING BASE THEN FINAL, OBSERVED INDIVIDUALS PUSHING IT TOWARDS THE PLANNED TOUCHDOWN POINT. HE ELECTED TO LAND BETWEEN THE APCH END AND THE GLIDER. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, HE APPLIED HEAVY BRAKING. THE NOSE OF HIS GLIDER DUG INTO THE GROUND THEN CAME TO REST. THE PLT STATED THAT HE SHOULD HAVE FLOWN OVER THE GLIDER THEN LANDED.
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: 296 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 450 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 7, 1988; 50 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from LAL, 15 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.