- Date
- January 31, 1987, 12:25 local (17:25 UTC)
- Place
- Williamson, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N429BGBurkhart Grob G103 Twin Astir
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19870131004089I
- Case key
- 7330
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
As the glider plt was apchg the entry point for landing, he checked the spoilers for operation. The spoilers extended, but would not retract. There was a significant increase in the sink rate & the plt realized he would be unable to reach the arpt. Subsequently, he landed the glider (sailplane) aprx 1/4 mi north of the arpt. An investigation revealed that abellcrank (pn 103B-4433) in the spoiler control system had failed at two locations on the center bearing housing. A metallurgical exam revealed the bellcrank had failed from high cycle, low stress fatigue. The failures occurred at the edge of fillet-welds in relatively soft, heat affected zones (haz). The bellcrank had not been subjected to post weld heat treatment. Tests verified a significant loss of hardness in the haz. The glider had a total flt time of 318 hrs when the bellcrank failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N429BG
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G103 Twin Astir (G103 TWIN)
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 3737
- Airframe hours
- 1,341
- Engine
- unknown UNK, unknown
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Atlanta Soaring Club
- Registered owner
- Astro Tec Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Airport
- 3GA7 · Peach State Gliderport, runway 31, 3,300 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,965 total · 6 in this make and model · 4,780 as pilot in command · 164 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ATL, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.