- Date
- June 18, 1989, 14:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Elbert, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N65910Schweizer 1-26E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890618016209A
- Case key
- 17724
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 improper inflight planning which placed the aircraft too FAR from the runway to complete a normal landing.
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 reported that he waited too long to begin his landing pattern and found himself too FAR from the airport. There was no obstacle free area available for the off airport landing and when the plt turned to align with the best area a wing tip dragged and the glider ground looped.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65910
- Reported as
- Schweizer 1-26E
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 610
- Airframe hours
- 479
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Soar Black Forest, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Cruce, James L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1988 · 69 hours before
- Departed
- CO26
- Destination
- CO26
- Airport
- CO26 · Black Forest, runway 17, 3,800 × 24 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 22
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 246 total · 1 in this make and model · 172 as pilot in command · 43 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.