Free Press Staff Report

Burlington Free Press

Three persons died Wednesday afternoon in a Stowe Soaring glider crash on Sterling Mountain in Vermont's Green Mountains.

The glider, an aircraft without an engine that's towed aloft by an airplane, was reported missing shortly before 2 p.m. by Morrisville-Stowe State Airport personnel when it became clear it hadn't returned from its flight.

After 3 1/2 hours of searching, an aerial crew spotted the downed glider late in the afternoon about 1,000 feet below the Sterling Mountain summit, not far from the Long Trail.

Search and rescue crews made their way up the Morrisvlle side of the mountain into the densely wooded remote area.

At about 9:35 p.m., they came upon the wreckage and found all three occupants of the glider dead, Vermont State Police Lt. Shawn Loan said in a 10:30 p.m. news conference at the search's command post at the airport located just south of Morrisville.

"It was pretty rough terrain, and it took several hours to get out there," Loan said.

The identities of the three persons -- a pilot and two passengers -- were not released Wednesday night pending notification of next of kin.

Family members were present at the airport command center. They asked news reporters to leave them alone as they left following the discovery of the bodies and before the deaths were announced.

Stowe Soaring has long offered glider rides from Morrisville-Stowe State Airport. A sign standing not far from the search command center Wednesday night read "Glider Rides Today!"

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What's next after glider crash

* Thursday morning, rescue crews will bring the bodies down from the remote site, which is about one mile from and 1,500 feet in elevation above the nearest trailhead, state police said.

* This effort is expected to take several hours.

* Later, the bodies will be taken to the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Burlington, where autopsies will be performed.

* Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will come to Vermont to investigate the cause of the glider crash.

Chronology of the glider accident

* 11:30 a.m.: The glider heads into the skies, towed by a plane that takes off from Morrisville-Stowe State Airport. A pilot and two passengers are on board the glider.

* 11:50 a.m.: The tow plane disconnects from the glider.

* 1:56 p.m.: Morrisville-Stowe State Airport personnel call 911 and report the Stowe Soaring glider missing. Quickly, Vermont State Police and other local authorities set up a search command center inside the Stowe Aviation building at the airport.

* 5:35 p.m: Following a 3 1/2 hour search, an airborne crew spots the glider about 1,000 feet from the top of Sterling Mountain. Rescue crews set out to the site in the densely wooded mountainous area.

* 9:35 p.m.: Search and rescue crews reach the downed glider and find all three persons aboard dead. Representatives of Vermont State Police, Stowe Mountain Rescue, Morrisville Police, Stowe Police, local fire departments and the Vermont Agency of Transportation all contribute to the search effort.

* 10:30 p.m.: State police announce the three bodies have been found.

Stowe Soaring accident occurred in 1994

National Transportation Safety Board records available online show one previous accident involving a Stowe Soaring glider.

That occurred June 3, 1994, when a pilot released his glider too soon from the tow plane.

"The glider pilot thought he could make Mt. Elmore so he released from the tow plane," an NTSB investigator wrote in the accident report. "He was unable to make it to Mt. Elmore, and the glider started to sink."

The pilot sought to land in a field. The glider struck tree tops and spun to the ground, with the pilot escaping injury.

The NTSB investigation determined the probable cause to be the premature release from the tow plane, a lack of lift and a downdraft.

Anyone who has information about Wednesday's fatal glider accident is asked to call Vermont State Police, Williston Barracks, 802 878-7111.