# Accident 19981011035129A: Trnsqp KR03A, Hilltown, PA, October 11, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 11, 1998, 13:00 local time
- Place: Hilltown, PA
- Airport: Philadelphia Gliderport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.3312° N, 75.2481° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at Philadelphia Gliderport (3PA2), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.3312&lon=-75.2481&mi=10
- Aircraft: N408KP, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N408KP) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: WSK Pzl-Krosno KR-03A (registry code 1130847, https://openairdocs.org/model/wsk-pzl-krosno-kr-03a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: TRNSQP KR03A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 115 total, 15 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC99LA008](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99LA008) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981011035129A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT DRIFTED TOO FAR DOWNWIND WHEN RETURNING TO AIRPORT AND LANDED SHORT AND CRASHED INTO TREES. AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. (.19)ON OCTOBER 11, 1998, ABOUT 1300 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A WSK PZL KROSNO, KR-03A GLIDER, N408KP, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT IMPACTED TREES WHILE LANDING AT THE PHILADELPHIA GLIDERPORT (OPAO), HILLTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.  THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLGIHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT THAT DEPARTED OPAO, ABOUT 1230.  THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91.  THE GLIDER WAS IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR RUNWAY 1, A 2,450 FOOT LONG, TURF RUNWAY.  IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT, THE PILOT SAID:  "...I WAS DOWNWIND (SOUTHWEST) OF RUNWAY.  I STARTED BACK AT ABOUT 2,000 FEET, I KNEW I WAS BUCKING A HEADWIND SO SET SPEED ABOUT 60-65 KNOTS AND HEADED DIRECTLY FOR THE RUNWAY...I EXPECTED TO MAKE THE FIELD AND WAS COMMITTED TO THAT COURSE.  I FLEW INTO THE TREES, WAS STOPPED, AND SLID VERTICALLY DOWN ONTO A PILE OF WOOD."  EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE BY A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION INSPECTOR DID NOT REVEAL ANY PRE-IMPACT ABNORMALITIES WITH  THE GLIDER. WINDS REPORTED AT AN AIRPORT ABOUT 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OPAO, AT 1455, WERE FROM 320 DEGREES AT 11 KNOTS, WITH 15 KNOT GUSTS. (.4) THE GLIDER WAS IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR RUNWAY 1, A 2,450 FOOT LONG, TURF RUNWAY. WHILE ON DOWNWIND, AT ABOUT 2,000 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, THE PILOT TURNED THE GLIDER BACK TOWARDS THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT STATED, "...I EXPECTED TO MAKE THE FIELD AND WAS COMMITTED TO THAT COURSE. I FLEW INTO THE TREES, WAS STOPPED, AND SLID VERTICALLY DOWN ONTO A PILE OF WOOD.' EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DID NOT REVEAL ANY PRE-IMPACT ABNORMALITIES WITH THE GLIDER. WINDS REPORTED AT AN AIRPORT ABOUT 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OPAO, AT 1455, WERE FROM 320 DEGREES AT 11 KNOTS, WITH 15 KNOT GUSTS.                            (-23) AIRCRAFT DRIFTED TOO FAR DOWNWIND WHEN RETURNING TO AIRPORT AND LANDED SHORT AND CRASHED INTO TREES. AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED.

## 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 NYC99LA008](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99LA008), Oct 11, 1998: WSK PZL Krosno KR-03A (N408KP), Hilltown, PA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's misjudgment of altitude/distance which resulted in an in-flight collision which trees.

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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