Amateur-built Woodstock I accident near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, October 2, 2001
On October 2, 2001 at about 3:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Woodstock I (glider), registered N21468, suffered minor damage in an accident near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania (Greene County airport). 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 improperly secured canopy latch, which resulted in canopy separation during liftoff and the pilot's subsequent loss of control. A factor was the improper installation of the latch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 2001 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Waynesburg, Pennsylvania · Greene County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Woodstock I
- Registration
- N21468 · no longer on the register · serial 01
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot/builder of the glider made five successful tow releases and landings from a paved runway, and was making his first tow release from grass. The driver towed the glider to the starting point, the student pilot got onboard, and he and another individual installed the canopy. The student pilot/builder checked the security of the canopy with a "push-up" on it, then began the glider tow. At liftoff, about 38 knots, the glider hit a clump of grass, and the canopy departed the airframe. The student pilot raised his left arm to protect his face, and thought he must have pulled back on the control stick as he avoided the canopy. The glider stalled about 10 feet in the air, then hit the ground. The student pilot/builder had difficulty latching the canopy prior to previous tows, and felt that the latching mechanism may have been twisted.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 44 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 11 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 30, 2001; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 450 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WAY Waynesburg PA at 3:00 pm
- Destination: Waynesburg PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 9 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from AFJ, 20 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.
Other NTSB records under N21468 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.