# Accident 20190717015259A: Bolkow PHOEBUS B-1, Alvord Desert, OR, July 17, 2019

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 17, 2019, 12:26 local time
- Place: Alvord Desert, OR
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.5354° N, 118.4560° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.5354&lon=-118.4560&mi=10
- Aircraft: N112AJ, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N112AJ-2021-09-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bolkow PHOEBUS B-1 (registry code 1403012, https://openairdocs.org/model/bolkow-phoebus-b-1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BOLKOW PHOEBUS B-1
- Reported engine: NONE NONE
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 168 total, 10 in this make and model, 16 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR19LA191](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR19LA191) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190717015259A

## Narrative

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

WITNESS STATEMENT: DURING AN AUTO TOW TAKEOFF THE AIRCRAFT WAS BETWEEN 100 AND 150 FEET AGL. THE AIRCRAFT SUDDENLY PITCHED UP, ROLLED LEFT AND IMPACTED THE GROUND, NOSE FIRST IN A NEAR VERTICAL POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED, THE PILOT DID NOT SURVIVE HIS INJURIES .

## 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 WPR19LA191](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR19LA191), Jul 17, 2019: Bolkow Phoebus (N112AJ), Alvord Desert, OR, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: Pilot’s failure to properly respond to a slack towline during takeoff, which resulted in a loss of control of the glider.

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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