- Date
- March 5, 2026, 13:59 local (18:59 UTC)
- Place
- Little Switzerland, NC
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9919Glasflugel Kestrel
- Defining event
- Enroute: Loss of lift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 17, 2026
- 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
- 20260305001839A
- Case key
- 202606
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
A loss of thermal lift during a glider flight, which resulted in a collision with trees during a landing approach to a diversionary airport.
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 had located five possible locations for off airport landings in advance of the glider flying event. On the accident flight, after receiving an aerotow, he maneuvered in the local area and found thermal lift that he used to climb further. After finding additional lift, the pilot flew across a ridge line toward a mountain where he hoped to find additional lift but was unsuccessful. He then turned around attempted to cross back over the ridge line where he knew there were several sites for an off-airport landing. The pilot realized that he would not be able to cross the ridge and then observed a private turf runway that he had not previously seen. During his landing approach the glider struck trees about 200 ft short of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to its fuselage and wings. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9919
- Reported as
- Glasflugel Kestrel
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 4
- Built
- 1969
- Airframe hours
- 2,856
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 10, 2026
- Departed
- 9A9 · Marion, NC
- Airport
- N/A · Strawberry Ridge, runway 09, 1,174 × 42 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Data recorder, Electronic flight bag or handheld 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
- 74
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 1, 2024
- Seat
- Center
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 268 total · 12 in this make and model · 3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- KMRN, 25 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KMRN 051855Z AUTO 20008KT 160V230 10SM CLR 27/13 A3017 RMK AO2 T02670127=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 17, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.2 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.