Accident Overview
On February 9, 2026, at approximately 1514 eastern standard time, a Pipistrel Taurus 503 motorglider, registration N414HG, sustained substantial damage in an accident at Willis Gliderport (FA44) in Boynton Beach, Florida. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Sequence of Events
Video and audio from a Ring camera captured the motorglider taxiing to the western end of the gliderport, where it stopped facing east with the engine running for about 2 minutes and 10 seconds. The audio recorded the engine rpm increasing, followed by the motorglider beginning its takeoff roll. The video showed rotation approximately 570 feet down the runway. The aircraft then exited the camera's field of view, but audio continued to record.
A pilot-rated witness, located inside his residence on the north side of the gliderport about 1,900 feet east of the western runway edge, reported hearing the motorglider depart. After the aircraft passed his house, he heard the engine quit. He went outside and observed the motorglider flying in a westerly direction about 350 feet south of the runway at an altitude between 200 and 300 feet. The engine was extended but not running. The motorglider continued westward 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. It impacted the ground in a near vertical position and fell back, coming to rest upright.
Postaccident Examination
Postaccident examination of the motorglider, which was equipped with an airframe rescue parachute, revealed that the parachute was not deployed and a safety pin was present in the emergency parachute release handle.
The wreckage was retained for further examination.