- Date
- March 14, 2011, 13:20 local (19:20 UTC)
- Place
- Boulder, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N505KKAms-Flight D.O.O. DG-500 Elan Orion
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Windshear or thunderstorm
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20110314004279A
- Case key
- 78546
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 in flight loss of lift while landing, resulting in a collision with a fence.
Findings · 1
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
According to the certified flight instructor (CFI), the purpose of the flight was to practice slip maneuvers to a landing with no spoilers. While on short final of the traffic pattern, the student pilot reduced the slip to maintain the glide path, at which time, the glider encountered a sink and descended. While in the flare over a fence, the left wing impacted a fence pole, resulting in substantial damage to the glider. The CFI stated that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the glider prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
According to the accident report form submitted by the flight instructor, the student had lined the glider up for landing, and a prelanding assessment indicated that the winds were calm. The purpose of the flight was to practice slips to a landing with no spoilers. While on short final, the slip was reduced to maintain the glide path, at which time, the glider encountered a sink rate. The student maintained the glide path; however, while in the flare over a fence, the left wing impacted a fence pole, resulting in substantial damage to the glider. The flight instructor stated that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the glider prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N505KK
- Reported as
- Ams-Flight D.O.O. DG-500 Elan Orion
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 5E201X46
- Airframe hours
- 2,720
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Soaring Society Of Boulder
- Registered owner
- Soaring Society Of Boulder
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 12, 2011
- Departed
- KBDU · Boulder, CO
- Destination
- KBDU · Boulder, CO
- Airport
- KBDU · Boulder Municipal Airport
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Last flight review
- January 29, 2011
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 11,216 total · 630 in this make and model · 630 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 9, 2010
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,341 total · 4 in this make and model · 2,260 as pilot in command · 133 in the last 90 days · 51 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- KBJC, 9 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 4, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 895 KB 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.