- Date
- July 1, 2000, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Manchester, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N885DSchleicher K8B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000701043189A
- Case key
- 51066
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 downdraft experienced during final approach and altitude/clearance from the fence post not being maintained by the pilot. A factor to the accident was the fence post.
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
While on final approach the glider experienced higher than expected sink and the glider impacted a fence-post short of the runway.
Factual narrative
On July 1, 2000, at 1530 eastern daylight time, a Schleicher K8B glider, N885D, piloted by a student pilot, sustained substantial damage during an in-flight collision with a fence-post while on final approach to runway 18 (2,465 feet by 100 feet, dry/turf) at the Rossettie Airport, Manchester, Michigan. Visual metrological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The solo flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 and was not on a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant, reported no injuries. The local flight departed the Rossettie Airport, at an undetermined time.
According to the student pilot's written statement, "Normal pattern approach[,] turned final with approx [approximately] 400 ft agl [feet above ground level], set spoilers for glide path & angle of descent. Encountered heavy sink, CDIT [controlled descent into terrain]."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N885D
- Reported as
- Schleicher K8B
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 1401
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- U Of Mich Soaring Club, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Departed
- 75G
- Airport
- 75G · Rosettie, runway 18, 2,250 × 75 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
- 67
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 282 total · 132 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Wind
- 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 178 °F, dew point 131 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JXN, 20 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.
Other investigations on N885D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.