- Date
- August 27, 2002, 15:05 local (19:05 UTC)
- Place
- Ionia, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N126CRSchweizer SGS-126E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA - Grand Rapids FSDO
- FAA report
- 20020827022229A
- Case key
- 55777
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 clearance from the runway end identifier light (REIL). A factor to the accident was the REIL.
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 glider impacted a runway edge identifier light (REIL) while landing on a grass easement adjacent to the runway.
Factual narrative
On August 27, 2002, at 1505 eastern daylight time, a Schweizer SGS-126E glider, N126CR, sustained substantial damage when it impacted a runway edge identifier light (REIL) while landing on a grass easement adjacent to runway 27 at the Ionia County Airport (Y70), Ionia, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The local flight departed Y70 at an unconfirmed time and was landing at the time of the accident.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot reported that during the landing roll the left wing impacted a REIL light, resulting in substantial damage to the glider.
The pilot did not include a written statement in his NTSB 6120.1/2 accident report.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N126CR
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS-126E
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 649
- Engine
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mile High Rides, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Y70 · Ionia, MI
- Destination
- Y70 · Ionia, MN
- Airport
- Y70 · Ionia County 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 61 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- GRR, 21 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.