- Date
- April 20, 1985, 15:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lovettsville, VA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5563VSlingsby Type 43 Series 3F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850420016219I
- Case key
- 11172
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 plt stated that he normally avoided landing on the rwy since the glider landed on a skid & it took a few minutes to remount it on a ground handling dolly. On this flt, he planned to land on the grass beside the apch end of the rwy. However, he allowed an excessive loss of alt on the base leg & final apch, & was unable to clear trees near the apch end of the rwy. Subsequently, the left wing tip hit the tops of trees & the glider cartwheeled to the ground. The plt believed he had spent too many hrs on this flt in unseasonable heat & went too long (over 8 hrs) without eating.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5563V
- Reported as
- Slingsby Type 43 Series 3F (TYPE 43 SE)
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 1028
- Airframe hours
- 670
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gordon R. Tyler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · June 2, 1984 · 11 hours before
- Airport
- VA61 · Scott Airpark, runway 36, 2,400 × 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
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 454 total · 61 in this make and model · 20 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAD, 22 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.