- Date
- June 2, 2024, 16:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Benton, NH · In a tree in a National Forrest
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N152SSBurkhart Grob Flugzeugbau G102 Astir CS
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Loss of lift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20240602008449A
- Case key
- 194610
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
An encounter with atmospheric conditions where the lift was not sufficient to maintain flight, resulting in collision with trees.
Findings · 1
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 pilot of the glider took off under aerotow for a flight in the local soaring area. During the return trip to the airport, the pilot reported that the “good lift” in the area had weakened. The pilot then reported that while looking for an area of lift, he performed a turn over a ridge, which resulted in a loss of altitude. During one the pilot’s turns to find lift, one of the wingtips impacted a tree, and the glider subsequently impacted the forest canopy. After impacting trees, the glider came to rest about 30 ft above ground level. The pilot was rescued from the tree canopy five hours after the accident and was uninjured. The tree impacts resulted in the glider sustaining substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N152SS
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob Flugzeugbau G102 Astir CS
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 1502
- Built
- 1977
- Airframe hours
- 1,524.3
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 8, 2023 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- 2B9 · Post Mills, VT
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 84
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 152 total · 22 in this make and model · 107.2 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.91 inHg
- Observed at
- 1P1, 17 nm away
- METAR
- METAR K1P1 022015Z AUTO 31006KT 10SM CLR 29/01 A2991 RMK AO2 T02930012=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 8, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 MB 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.