- Date
- September 9, 2008, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Boulder, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N17939Schweizer SGS 2-33A
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 22, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20080909849879I
- Case key
- 68970
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 use the dive brake during landing resulting in a long landing and collision.
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
According to the pilot, he was conducting his fourth solo flight and during the aero tow he "ballooned" and drifted to the right. The pilot repositioned the glider, slack developed in the tow rope, and the rope disconnected from the glider approximately 10 feet above the ground. The pilot did not use the dive brake to descend and landed long, resulting in substantial damage. An examination of the glider systems, conducted by the FAA, revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he was conducting his fourth solo flight and during the aero tow he "ballooned" and drifted to the right. The pilot repositioned the glider, slack developed in the tow rope, and the rope disconnected from the glider approximately 10 feet above the ground. The pilot did not use the dive brake to descend and landed long, resulting in substantial damage. An examination of the glider systems, conducted by the FAA, revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N17939
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 2-33A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 294
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Mile High Gliding Inc
- Registered owner
- Mile High Gliding Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KBDU · Boulder, CO
- Destination
- KBDU · Boulder, CO
- Airport
- KBDU · Boulder Municipal Airport, runway 08, 4,100 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 18, 2008
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 890 total · 5 in this make and model · 791 as pilot in command · 95 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- BJC, 10 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.