Start & Flug H-101 SALTO accident near Columbus, Ohio, June 18, 1993
On June 18, 1993 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Start & Flug H-101 SALTO (glider), registered N101AZ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbus, Ohio (Bolton Field). 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 SELECTION OF UNSUITABLE TERRAIN FOR LANDING. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE INTERRUPTION OF THE GLIDER PILOT'S PLANNED APPROACH BY A POWERED AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1993 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Columbus, Ohio · Bolton Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Start & Flug H-101 SALTO H-101 SALT
- Registration
- N101AZ · registry record · serial 60
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE GLIDER WAS ON APPROACH FOR LANDING ON THE GRASS RUNWAY 22. THE PILOT EXTENDED HIS BASE LEG DURING THE APPROACH TO ACCOMMODATE A POWERED AIRPLANE, WHICH HAD ENTERED THE PATTERN. HE THEN DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR HIM TO COMPLETE THE LANDING ON THE PLANNED GRASS RUNWAY, SO HE CHANGED THE LANDING SITE TO A GRASS AREA WITH WHICH HE WAS NOT FAMILIAR. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE GLIDER IMPACTED A DITCH DAMAGING THE TAIL SECTION. THE PILOT SAID THAT THIS WAS HIS FIRST FLIGHT AT THIS AIRPORT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 14, 1992
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 5,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°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.