- Date
- July 6, 1985, 16:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Lake, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N563YEiriavion PIK-20B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850706030169A
- Case key
- 16722
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
On returning from a 300-kilometer cross-country flight, in a glider the pilot noticed the absence of thermal activity and was forced to land in an open field. The pilot said he landed with a 2-5 knot tailwind and his approach and touchdown speed was too fast. The glider struck a small hole, the pilot lost control and the glider groundlooped.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N563Y
- Reported as
- Eiriavion PIK-20B
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 20120C
- Airframe hours
- 950
- Engine
- none O, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- William D. Ray
- Registered owner
- David C. Dooley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 17, 1985
- Departed
- LXV · Leadville, CO
- Airport
- LXV · Lake County
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 270 total · 120 in this make and model · 223 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 18,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BJC, 40 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.