Amateur-built WINDEX 1200C accident near Wauchula, Florida, March 2, 1997
On March 2, 1997 at about 9:46 pm local time, a amateur-built WINDEX 1200C, registered N1201G, was destroyed in an accident near Wauchula, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and subsequent collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 1997 · about 9:46 pm local time
- Place
- Wauchula, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built WINDEX 1200C WINDEX 12
- Registration
- N1201G · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The home built, powered glider was being flown on a flight to conduct a stall test at 3,000 feet. A witness observed the powered sailplane flying westbound at low altitude. According to the witness, the powered sailplane entered an abrupt turn to the east, then it started rotating to the left in a descent until it disappeared from view below a tree line. Examination of the crash site revealed evidence that the powered sailplane collided with the ground in a near vertical descent, 10-degree nose-up attitude, with no evidence of forward motion, rotating around its vertical axis to the left. Examination of the airframe, flight control assembly, engine assembly, and accessories revealed no evidence of a precrash mechanical failure or malfunction. The powered sailplane had accumulated about 4 hours of flight time, since it was built.
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: 1,500 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 1,460 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 12, 1997; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 694 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Konig SC430 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FDO6 at 8:58 pm
- Destination: FD06
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from TPA, 43 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.