Schleicher ASW27 accident near Winter Haven, Florida, January 21, 1999
On January 21, 1999 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Schleicher ASW27 (glider), registered N387T, suffered minor damage in an accident near Winter Haven, Florida (Gilbert Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an in-flight collision with wires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 1999 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Winter Haven, Florida · Gilbert Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW27 · all ASW27s on the register
- Registration
- N387T · no longer on the register · serial 27031
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tow plane had taken the glider to an altitude of between 2,200 and 2,300 feet. The pilot stated he was over the airport and was going to land. While on approach, the pilot noted that he would not have enough altitude to land at the airport. He then attempted to clear a lake and land in a field short of the airport. As he approached the field, the canopy struck wires and the glider landed in the field. The pilot was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed with a broken bone in his vertebra and a broken rib.
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: 4,600 hours in all; 4,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,157 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from GIF
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.