# Accident 19970906025609A: Amtr MARCOJ5, Sutton, WV, September 6, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 6, 1997, 14:19 local time
- Place: Sutton, WV
- Airport: Braxton County Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.6591° N, 80.7106° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.6591&lon=-80.7106&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5377, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5377-2005-04-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Reynolds Donald H MARSKE MONARCH (registry code 05604RU, https://openairdocs.org/model/reynolds-donald-h-marske-monarch) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR MARCOJ5
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 312 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD97LA118](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD97LA118) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970906025609A

## Narrative

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

(.4) THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE GLIDER WAS TOWED TO 500 FEET AGL, AND RELEASED. HE SAID THAT WHEN HE STARTED HIS TURN, THE LEFT WING DROPPED, AND THE GLIDER ENTERED A SPIN TO THE LEFT. HE APPLIED OPPOSITE RUDDER, AND THE GLIDER RECOVERED AFTER TWO TURNS. HE SAID SHORTLY THEREAFTER HE BECAME DISORIENTED, AND DOES NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE. A WITNESS SAID THAT THE GLIDER ENTERED ANOTHER SPIN, ABOUT 100 FEET AGL, AND STRUCK THE GROUND AT THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 01. THE PILOT REPORTED OVER 10 HOURS IN GLIDERS INCLUDING 1 HOUR IN MAKE AND MODEL. HE REPORTED THAT THERE WAS NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION WITH THE GLIDER. ACCORDING TO THE FAA, THE GLIDER WAS BEING FLIGHT TESTED, AND HAD FLOWN SIX TIMES ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. THERE WAS NO RECORD THAT THE GLIDER'S PITOT STATIC SYSTEM WAS CALIBRATED, AS RECOMMENDED IN ADVISORY CIRCULAR AC-90-89.

## 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 IAD97LA118](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD97LA118), Sep 6, 1997: Reynolds MARSKE-MONARCH 1997 (N5377), Sutton, WV, destroyed. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. A related factors was the pilot lack of familiarity with the airplane.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.