- Date
- August 7, 2022, 12:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Waller, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N921MSchleicher ASW-20B
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20220807014239A
- Case key
- 105678
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 failure to maintain the proper descent rate during an off-airport landing.
Findings · 2
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 was being air towed by an airplane. The glider pilot reported that, the takeoff roll and liftoff were normal, but halfway down the runway, he heard an “unfamiliar wind noise in the cockpit.” He lost sight of the tow airplane and pulled his tow release handle. The pilot attempted to land straight ahead but was unsuccessful in deploying the airbrakes. Subsequently, he turned right to land between a hanger and trees. During the forced landing in a grass field, the empennage section sustained substantial damage. The glider pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N921M
- Reported as
- Schleicher ASW-20B
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 20622
- Built
- 1983
- Airframe hours
- 2,270
- Engine
- Na, none
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · January 30, 2022
- Departed
- 89TA · Waller, TX
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 89TA · Soaring Club of Houston Gliderport, runway 17, 3,000 × 300 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Last flight review
- March 19, 2022
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 609 total · 0 in this make and model · 546 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 92 °F, dew point 71 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.08 inHg
- Observed at
- CLL, 14 nm away
- METAR
- KTME 070715Z AUTO 00000KT 8SM BKN019 26/24 A3008 RMK AO2
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 2, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 11.3 MB 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.