- Date
- September 17, 2009, 10:25 local (14:25 UTC)
- Place
- Clermont, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N308BGBurkhart Grob G-103A TWI
- Defining event
- Landing: Dragged wing/rotor/float/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 29, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090917049449A
- Case key
- 74753
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 flight instructor's delayed remedial action resulting in an off-airfield landing and ground loop.
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
The certificated flight instructor and his student were on approach, in a glider. The student was attempting to make a no-airbrake landing. While on approach, the student was using a forward slip to correct the altitude. The instructor reported that his student’s aggressive control inputs made the aircraft too slow and too low to reach the airfield. The instructor took over the controls and decided to make an off-field landing. While landing, the glider’s right wing impacted tall grass. The flight instructor reported that the aircraft ground looped to the right causing substantial damage to the rudder and empennage. Neither the flight instructor nor the student reported any mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane.
Factual narrative
The certificated flight instructor and his student were on approach, in a glider. The student was attempting to make a no-airbrake landing. While on approach, the student was using a forward slip to correct the altitude. The instructor reported that his student’s aggressive control inputs made the aircraft too slow and too low to reach the airfield. The instructor took over the controls and decided to make an off field landing. While landing, the glider’s right wing impacted tall grass. The flight instructor reported that the aircraft ground looped to the right causing substantial damage to the rudder and empennage. Neither the flight instructor nor the student reported any mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N308BG
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G-103A TWI
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 34033-K-265
- Airframe hours
- 4,885
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Seminole Flying & Soaring Inc
- Registered owner
- Seminole Flying & Soaring Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2009
- Departed
- 6FL0 · Clermont, FL
- Destination
- 6FL0 · Clermont, FL
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- 6FL0 · Seminole Lake Gliderport, runway 18, 3,000 × 50 ft, grass/turf
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Foreign
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 29, 2007
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 7,310 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 4,804 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 175 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 19
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 27 total · 27 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KGIF, 21 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 26, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 864 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.