- Date
- July 5, 1987, 14:56 local (18:56 UTC)
- Place
- Mt. Airy, NC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N930BGBurkhart Grob G-103A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870705032369A
- Case key
- 7473
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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
The instructor stated this was the second flight of the day with the student. They had released from an air tow at 1,500 feet AGL. The instructor was demonstrating glide slope control for best final glide. When the sailplane was about 1,000 feet AGL and one mile nw of the airport he turned toward the runway and noted a sink rate of about 8 knots. He increased speed and the sink rate went to 10 knots. These sink rates translate to about 810 and 1013 feet per minute, respectively. This would have permitted the sailplane to cover a maximum distance of 1 1/2 miles. Two sets of powerlinesand a chain link fence were between the sailplane and the runway. The aircraft collided with the fence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N930BG
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G-103A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 34053-K-283
- Airframe hours
- 273
- Engine
- unknown UNK, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Wilson Brown,, doing business as Southern Soaring
- Registered owner
- Henry C. Zenke
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 12, 1987 · 64 hours before
- Airport
- MWK · Mt. Airy-Surray County, runway 18, 3,500 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 43
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 3,347 total · 118 in this make and model · 3,239 as pilot in command · 132 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.