- Date
- July 24, 2025, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Franconia, NH · Field
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N103GVGrob-Werke Twin Astir
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Loss of lift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 20, 2025
- 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
- 20250724010089A
- Case key
- 200709
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 failure to detect the inadvertent deployment of the spoilers, which resulted in a prolonged, excessive descent rate. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to conduct a downwind approach versus a straight in approach to the diversionary airport, which resulted in an off-airport landing.
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 pilot of the glider was being towed to altitude near mountainous terrain when the glider encountered turbulence and rotor wave activity. The pilot reported that, after releasing from tow, he noted that the glider was in “some bad sink.” The pilot initially turned back to the airport but continued to lose altitude quickly. He then noticed that the spoilers were extended, retracted them, and attempted to reach a diversionary airport; however, the glider continued to descend rapidly. The pilot said he entered the airport traffic pattern rather than making a straight-in landing approach, but realized he had insufficient altitude to clear trees, and landed in a nearby field. Upon landing, the glider ground looped when it contacted tall grass resulting in substantial damage to the tail boom. The pilot said there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N103GV
- Reported as
- Grob-Werke Twin Astir
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 3069
- Airframe hours
- 3,205
- Engine
- None, none
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 15, 2024
- Departed
- 1B5 · Franconia, NH
- Equipment
- None
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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- October 20, 2024
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 253 total · 14.2 in this make and model · 171.2 as pilot in command · 24.7 in the last 90 days · 14.8 in the last 30 days · 1.4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 8 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- HIE, 15 nm away
- METAR
- KHIE 241952Z AUTO 23008G19KT 200V270 10SM FEW050 31/17 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP149 T03110172
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 20, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 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.