- Date
- July 7, 1985, 17:50 local (23:50 UTC)
- Place
- Tatum, NM
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4203YRolladen-Schneider LS-4
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850707030139A
- Case key
- 16562
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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 plt stated that 7 miles sw of Tatum, NM, an area of 'sink' was encountered and insufficient alt remained to glide to the Tatum arpt. An apch was then made (into the sun) for a landing in a fld. During the landing flare, the plt noticed a row of fence posts in the flt path. Afraid one of the fence wires would cut through the cockpit, the plt pulled up in an attempt to clear the fence. The acft stalled at an alt of aprx 6 ft AGL and contacted the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4203Y
- Reported as
- Rolladen-Schneider LS-4
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 4008
- Airframe hours
- 600
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Becky Rackley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 16, 1984
- Departed
- HOB · Hobbs, NM
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,300 total · 41 in this make and model · 108 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HOB, 27 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.