Woodstock I, N21468: Accident occurred October 11, 2015 near Decatur Municipal Airport (KLUD), Wise County, Texas

PETER N. BLOUNT: http://registry.faa.gov/N21468

NTSB Identification: CEN16LA007
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, October 11, 2015 in Decatur, TX
Aircraft: RICH HARRY A WOODSTOCK I, registration: N21468
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On October 11, 2015, at an undetermined time, an experimental Woodstock I glider, N21468, impacted terrain near the Decatur Municipal Airport (KLUD), Decatur, Texas. The pilot was fatally injured and the glider was substantially damaged. The glider was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The local flight originated KLUD about 1430.

According to a member of a local glider flying club, the pilot was towed by an airplane about 1430. Another member of the club saw the glider maneuvering between 3,000 and 4,000 feet mean sea level several miles from the airport. At sunset, the pilot was unaccounted for and the flying club reported the glider missing.

The wreckage of the glider was found about 2030 near the approach end of runway 17. There are no known witnesses to the accident. 

FAA Flight Standards District Office: FAA Sacramento FSDO-25

Any witnesses should email witness@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. 

A Metroplex man was killed Sunday,October 11th in a glider crash just outside Decatur. 

First responders were called to the scene just north of Decatur Municipal Airport about 8:30 p.m. shortly after the aircraft was discovered.

Decatur Police Officer Royce Gastineau said the man is a member of a glider club that regularly flies in Wise County. Earlier in the evening a member of the club called the Wise County Sheriff’s Office and said one of their members was missing. The caller was wondering if a downed aircraft had been reported.

The missing man was last seen flying east of Decatur. His car was found parked at the Decatur airport, according to Gastineau. He said they “pinged” the man’s cell phone, which led them to the crash scene in a field between Jones Park and the end of an airport runway.

Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Craig Johnson pronounced the man dead at the scene. The victim’s name is being withheld pending notification of his family.