Eiriavion Oy PIK-20E accident near Rochester, Vermont, June 23, 1997
On June 23, 1997 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Eiriavion Oy PIK-20E (glider), registered N1043G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rochester, Vermont. 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 inadequate evaluation of the weather that consisted of downdrafts and his inadequate start procedures that resulted in a forced landing and collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 1997 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rochester, Vermont
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eiriavion Oy PIK-20E · all PIK-20Es on the register
- Registration
- N1043G · no longer on the register · serial 20221
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a non-stop round-trip flight in a motorized glider as a contestant in a competition flight. En route he encountered sinking air and tried to start the engine. He was unable to start it and believed that he had flooded the engine, which he later attributed to 'the pressure of the circumstances.' According to the pilot, he then selected a field to land, but the glider collided with trees about 300 feet short of the field.
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: 453 hours in all; 304 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 304 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 2, 1997; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,036 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 501 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VSF Springfield VT at 4:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:10 pm from RUT, 24 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.