- Date
- July 29, 2024, 15:55 local (21:55 UTC)
- Place
- Huntsville, UT · Open field
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8485WBurkhart Grob Flugzeugbau G103 Twin Astir
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20240729013829A
- Case key
- 194808
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to navigate in hazy conditions, which resulted in a forced landing in a field and a collision with a pole.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the unpowered glider reported that, he experienced “spatial disorientation” due to hazy conditions, and he inadvertently flew the glider in the wrong direction, which was farther away from his intended landing site. The pilot selected an open field as a forced landing site. During the forced landing, the right wing impacted a pole, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8485W
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob Flugzeugbau G103 Twin Astir
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 3290
- Built
- 1980
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Utah Soaring Association
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 42U · Morgan, UT
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- NA
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 16
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 55 total · 26 in this make and model · 13 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KOGD, 20 nm away
- METAR
- KOGD 292153Z VRB04KT 10SM CLR 34/00 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP084 T03390000
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 8, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.