- Date
- September 13, 2025, 13:52 local (17:52 UTC)
- Place
- New Castle, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N68MFJonker Sailplanes JS3
- Defining event
- Approach: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 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
- 20250913012779A
- Case key
- 201045
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 properly configure the glider for landing, which resulted in an excessive descent rate during approach, and subsequent collision with trees short of the intended landing area.
Findings · 2
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 turbine powered (jet sustainer) motorglider reported that during descent to the airport, he deployed and operated the jet sustainer for 90 seconds. After turning off the jet sustainer, the pilot forgot to stow it, resulting in increased drag. After entering the traffic pattern, the pilot configured the glider for landing by extending the flaps and landing gear, but the jet sustainer remained extended. The pilot noticed a sink rate in excess of normal, and attempted to resolve the condition by reducing flaps, but inadvertently placed the flaps in the full negative position, which deployed the spoilers and increased the sink rate further. He continued in the airport traffic pattern; however, during the base leg to final leg turn, he realized that impact with a tree line was likely and decided to level the wings to make contact with the trees in a controlled fashion. The glider subsequently impacted the trees resulting in substantial damage to its right wing. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the glider.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N68MF
- Reported as
- Jonker Sailplanes JS3
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 03-136
- Built
- 2022
- Airframe hours
- 132.6
- Engine
- Md-Flugzeugbau MD-TJ42, 78 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · December 13, 2024
- Airport
- VA85 · New Castle Intl, runway 36, 2,400 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Satellite tracking device
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
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- December 23, 2024
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 421 total · 55.5 in this make and model · 322 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- ROA, 12 nm away
- METAR
- KROA 131754Z 18004KT 10SM FEW050 26/11 A3017 RMK AO2 SLP205 T02560111 10256 20128 58019=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 4, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.4 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.