Start & Flug H101 accident near Rock Hill, New York, July 19, 2003
On July 19, 2003 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Start & Flug H101 (glider), registered N999JB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rock Hill, New York (Wurtsboro-Sullivan County Arpt airport). 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 selection of an unsuitable area for landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2003 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rock Hill, New York · Wurtsboro-Sullivan County Arpt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Start & Flug H101
- Registration
- N999JB · no longer on the register · serial 44
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider was aero-towed, and released. After release, the glider was not observed until about 2 1/2 hour later, when the pilot attempted a landing on a road surrounded by trees. The left wing dug into an adjacent dirt bank and the glider came to rest inverted on the road. A suitable landing area was located about 1,000 feet north of the accident site. A witness in a vehicle traveling southbound on the road saw the glider proceeding south, past his position, and then reverse course to the north, after which he lost sight of the glider. As he continued to travel south on the road, he came upon the glider on the road, inverted. The wing span of the glider was 44.6 feet. The paved area of the road was 20 feet wide. Trees overhung the road on both sides, and there was dirt bank, higher than the road, on the west side of the road, about 20 feet west of the centerline of the road.
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: 265 hours in all; 46 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 160 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 15, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,077 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 2002; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 683 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: N82 Wurtsboro NY at 7:00 pm
- Destination: N82
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 9:15 pm from MSV, 10 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.