Centrair 101A N39KG
3 July 2015 · Hartford, Wisconsin, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 3 July 2015 at about 16:44 local time, a Centrair 101A registered N39KG, operated by Theodore Clausing, was involved in an accident near Hartford, Wisconsin, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:44
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Hartford, Wisconsin, United States
- Nearest airport
- Hartford Muni (HXF)
- Coordinates
- 43.3469, -88.3894
- Aircraft
- Centrair 101A
- Registration
- N39KG
- Category
- Glider
- Year built
- 1984
- Operator
- Theodore Clausing
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Hartford → Hartford
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- GAA15CA177
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The glider pilot's failure to connect the elevator to the elevator control rod during the assembly process, resulting in a loss of control, and a collision with terrain during takeoff.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that during the glider assembly process, he was distracted several times, and did not connect the elevator to the elevator control rod. He reported that during the takeoff, while being towed by an airplane, there was an "abnormal pitch up." The pilot wrote that he was "rolling left, pitching up, and losing sight of the tow plane" and that he released the tow line. The glider bounced off the ground, impacted a tree line, and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Centrair 101 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 2014 | Centrair 101A | Nephi, Utah, United States | Bick Frederic A | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 May 2007 | Centrair 101C | Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Aug 2025 | Centrair 101A | Springfield, Vermont, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 May 1997 | Centrair 101C | Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 1991 | Centrair 101A | Groveland, Florida, United States | Seminole Flying & Soaring, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 25 Sep 1988 | Centrair 101 | Vacaville, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Jul 2015 | Socata TBM 700 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | Trustey Management Corporation | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 Sep 2015 | Venus CP328 SUPER EMERAUDE | Port Wing, Wisconsin, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2015 | Continental Copters TOMCAT MK5A | Elk Mound, Wisconsin, United States | Churchill, Scott | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 2015 | Cessna 182 | Watertown, Wisconsin, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Nov 2015 | Hickham LANCAIR IV-P | Shawano, Wisconsin, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Jun 2015 | Mooney M20K | Sheboygan, Wisconsin, United States | James R. Pawlak | No injuries | - |