- Date
- September 3, 2012, 16:22 local (21:22 UTC)
- Place
- Navasota, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N27UPRolladen-Schneider OHG LS3-A
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report December 19, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Houston FSDO
- Case key
- 84940
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 inadequate compensation for landing area conditions during an off-airport landing, which resulted in a loss of directional control and a collision with terrain.
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 glider pilot reported that he was about 5 miles from his destination airport and had enough altitude to make the field, but encountered sink and was unable to find additional lift. The pilot decided to conduct an off-field landing in a large open grass field. During the landing, the right wing tip hit the tall grass, which resulted in a ground loop when the glider was still several feet above ground. The nose yawed to the right and the glider impacted the terrain nose first. The wings, fuselage, and empennage were substantially damaged. The pilot stated that the accident could have been avoided if he had focused more on his choice of a landing spot and that he should have avoided landing in a field with tall grass. However, the pilot was likely unable to recognize the height of the grass in the field until the glider was low to the ground, and he selected the best possible landing site given what he knew at the time of the loss of lift.
Factual narrative
The glider pilot reported he was about five miles from his destination airport and had enough altitude to make the field, but encountered sink and was unable to find additional lift. The pilot decided on an off field landing in a large open grass field. During the landing the right wing tip hit the tall grass which resulted in a ground loop when glider was still several feet above ground. The nose yawed to the right and the glider impacted terrain nose first. The wings, fuselage and empennage were substantially damaged. The pilot added that the accident could have been avoided if he had focused more on his choice of a landing spot and that he should have avoided landing in a field with tall grass.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N27UP
- Reported as
- Rolladen-Schneider OHG LS3-A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 3280
- Airframe hours
- 1,101
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 23, 2012
- Departed
- 87TA · Waller, TX
- Destination
- 87TA · Waller, TX
- Airport
- 89TA · Soaring Club of Houston Glider
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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- February 26, 2012
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 430 total · 368 in this make and model · 404 as pilot in command · 46 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 99 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- KCLL, 24 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 25, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 261 KB in all.