Amateur-built SUPER CAT accident near Middlebury, Connecticut, October 3, 1998
On October 3, 1998 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built SUPER CAT, registered N132TF, was destroyed in an accident near Middlebury, Connecticut (Waterbury-Oxford 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 failure to utilize his seat belt and shoulder harness.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 3, 1998 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Middlebury, Connecticut · Waterbury-Oxford Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SUPER CAT
- Registration
- N132TF · no longer on the register · serial 1026
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane had an open cockpit, and the pilot was known to fly without his seatbelt and shoulder harness fastened. The accident airplane took off moments after a Hawker 1000 business jet. The pilot's remains were found about 1 mile north of the airport, and the airplane was later found about 845 feet north of the pilot's position, on the same bearing from the airport. There was no evidence of mechanical malfunction, and there was a strong odor of fuel at the site. The shoulder harness, seat belts and buckles were inspected, and found intact and unfastened. There was no sign of belt stretching, fatigue or overload, nor any scratch marks on the metal buckles or attaching hardware. When buckled, there was only a little slack between the seat belt straps and the seat, not enough to be able to secure a person in the seat.
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
- Flight time: 543 hours in all; 191 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 191 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503CDIFC SC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OXC Oxford CT at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from BDL, 35 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.