# Accident 19970703017019A: Amtr RS15, Lonoka County, AR, July 3, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 3, 1997, 14:45 local time
- Place: Lonoka County, AR
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.0094° N, 91.9495° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0094&lon=-91.9495&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8032H, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8032H-2000-04-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Reiffer Raymond RS-15 (registry code 05647CS, https://openairdocs.org/model/reiffer-raymond-rs-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR RS15
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97LA257](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA257) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970703017019A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

MADE NORMAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY, TOO MUCH SPEED, NOT FULL FLAPS. PULLED UP TO COME BACK. HIT TREE ON COMPLETING TURN (-23) ON JULY 3, 1997, AT 1445 CDT, AN EXPERIMENTAL REIFFER RS-15 GLIDER, N8032H, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHILE LANDING AT A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP NEAR VILONA, ARKANSAS. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE GLIDER, SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT FOR WHICH A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE PROPERTY OWNER (ALSO A GLIDER INSTRUCTOR) WAS A WITNESS TO THE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE. HE REPORTED THAT HE OBSERVED THE GLIDER MAKE AN APPROACH TO THE WEST RUNWAY AND FLY THE ENTIRE LENGTH WITHOUT LOSING ENOUGH AIRSPEED TO EXECUTE A LANDING. HE STATED THAT THE FLAPS DID NOT APPEAR TO BE COMPLETELY EXTENDED. HE STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED TO AVOID A LINE OF TREES AT THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY AND EXECUTED A STEEP RIGHT HAND 180 DEGREE TURN BACK TOWARD THE RUNWAY. THE RADIUS OF THE TURN DISPLACED                                  THE AIRCRAFT TO THE SOUTH OF THE RUNWAY WHERE A LINE OF 60' TREES STANDS. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A 60' TREE APPROXIMATELY 25 FEET FROM THE BASE OF THE TREE. THE WINGS AND TAIL LODGED IN THE TREE AND THE FUSELAGE CAME TO REST IN A CREEK BED APPROXIMATELY 30' FROM THE TREE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW97LA257](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA257), Jul 3, 1997: Reiffer RS-15 (N8032H), Ward, AR, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadvertent stall. Factors were the pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point, his failure to use the flaps to obtain the proper touchdown point, and the pilot's lack of recent…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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