Schleicher ASW-19B accident near Hamptonville, North Carolina, April 9, 1998
On April 9, 1998 at about 8:08 pm local time, a Schleicher ASW-19B (glider), registered N297B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hamptonville, North Carolina. It was a personal flight 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
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed (VSO) while maneuvering at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 9, 1998 · about 8:08 pm local time · cases in 1998
- Place
- Hamptonville, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW-19B · all ASW-19Bs on the register
- Registration
- N297B · registry record · serial 19376
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness observed the glider at about 200 feet, and the airspeed was described as slow. The glider was observed to make several 360-degree turns before the nose of the glider was observed to pitch straight down, and the glider disappeared from view below the tree line.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,650 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,443 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 964 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 27, 1997; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Kenlett INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 78A Jonesville NC at 6:16 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from INT
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
- N297B on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schleicher ASW-19 43 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schleicher 506 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Swan Creek Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 304 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,123 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MIA98LA128.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.