Amateur-built WINDROSE accident near Marion, Ohio, August 12, 2000
On August 12, 2000 at about 8:15 pm local time, a amateur-built WINDROSE (glider), registered CGELQ, was destroyed in an accident near Marion, Ohio (Marion Muni 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 pilot's failure to maintain control of the glider. Factors in this accident were the strong crosswinds, and thermals, which existed during the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2000 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Marion, Ohio · Marion Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built WINDROSE
- Registration
- CGELQ · no longer on the register · serial MAT-134
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The homebuilt glider was towed to, and released at, 2,000 feet agl. While circling to the left in a thermal, a gust lifted the glider's right wing and flipped the glider inverted. The glider then quickly entered a spiral dive. The pilot stated, 'The speed built so quickly that I determined it was near red line and a bailout was a better option than having it breakup in the air at low altitude.' The pilot elected to egress from the glider and parachuted to the ground without incident. The unoccupied glider then impacted in a bean field, and was destroyed. The pilot stated he experience no mechanical problems with the glider. Another glider pilot in the accident area stated he experienced strong thermals and the wind aloft was about 18 knots.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 344 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 170 as pilot in command; 37 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 760 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MNN at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MNN, 1 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.