Amateur-built MONERAI "S" accident near Springfield, Vermont, July 5, 1987
On July 5, 1987 at about 6:50 pm local time, a amateur-built MONERAI "S" (glider), registered N54MS, was destroyed in an accident near Springfield, Vermont. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 1987 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Springfield, Vermont
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MONERAI "S" MONERAI "S
- Registration
- N54MS · registry record · serial 0006
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE MONERAI 'S' (N54MS, A PWRD GLIDER) EXPERIENCED AN INFLT FAILURE OF THE LEFT WING SPAR & CRASHED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ACFT WAS BEING OPERATED IN EXCESS OF ITS MAX GROSS WT LIMIT OF 450 LBS. THE PLT OF AN UNPOWERED MONERAI SAID HE & 3 OTHERS (INCLUDING THE PLT OF N54MS) WERE FLYING IN A THERMAL WHEN HE NOTED A SUDDEN, SHARP 'UP-GUST.' HE DESCRIBED THIS 'UP-GUST' AS BEING STRONGER THAN ANY HE HAD EVER EXPERIENCED IN 5 YRS OF FLYING HIS GLIDER. HE HAD SEEN N54MS IN THE SAME THERMAL, BUT WAS NOT OBSERVING IT WHEN THE ACDNT OCCURRED. A GROUND WITNESS SAW N54MS DESCENDING OUT OF CONTROL WITH THE APPEARANCE OF BOTH WINGS POINTING UPWARD. A METALLURGICAL EXAM REVEALED THE LEFT WING SPAR HAD FAILED FROM OVERLOAD.
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: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 285 hours in all; 225 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 225 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 255 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 1987; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 450 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Zenoah (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHT Manchester NH at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.