Pilot Debrief

PIPISTREL TAURUS 503 near Boynton Beach, FL — 2026-02-09

Investigation ongoingERA26FA110
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Date
2026-02-09
Location
Boynton Beach, FL, USA
Airport
FA44
Aircraft
PIPISTREL TAURUS 503
Registration
N414HG
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

On February 9, 2026, about 1514 eastern standard time, a Pipistrel Taurus 503 motorglider, N414HG, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Willis Gliderport (FA44), Boynton Beach, Florida. The pilot was seriously injured. The motorglider was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Video with audio from a Ring camera captured the motorglider taxiing to the west end of the gliderport where it stopped facing east with the engine running for about 2 minutes and 10 seconds. The audio captured the sound of the engine rpm increasing followed by the motorglider beginning the takeoff roll. The video captured the motorglider rotating about 570 ft down the runway, the motorglider exited the camera’s field of view but the audio continued to record. A pilot rated witness located inside his residence on the north side of the gliderport about 1,900 ft east of the western edge of the runway reported hearing the motorglider depart. When the motorglider was past his house he heard the engine quit. He went outside and observed it flying in a westerly direction about 350 ft south of the runway at an altitude of between 200 and 300 ft. He noted the engine was extended but was not running. The motorglider continued to the west a “few hundred feet” before banking to the right; the right wing dropped, and the glider descended in a nose-low attitude while rotating to the right. The motorglider impacted the ground in a near vertical position and fell back, coming to rest upright. Postaccident examination of the motorglider which was equipped with an airframe rescue parachute revealed it was not deployed and a safety pin was in the emergency parachute release handle. The wreckage was retained for further examination.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Loss of engine power (total) · Approach-VFR pattern downwind
View NTSB preliminary report

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