NTSB ERA25LA303 — 2025-08-16 · Springfield, Vermont, United States

Current FAA registration · N99KG

Make / Model: CENTRAIR 101A
Seats / Engines: 1 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S ADD132

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N99KG Centrair 101A Serious

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to assemble the glider’s elevator control before takeoff.

Factual narrative

During his preflight assembly of the glider, the pilot got distracted and failed to connect the elevator control. During the subsequent takeoff, once the glider became airborne, the pilot realized there was no elevator control and immediately released himself from the tow airplane. The glider nosed down and impacted the ground resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot
— Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Flight control system-Elevator control system-Not installed/available

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_ERA25LA303.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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