- Date
- July 4, 1982, 14:20 local (19:20 UTC)
- Place
- Refugio, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N604VPGlassflugel 604
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 4, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820704028269A
- Case key
- 72366
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot accidently released the tow line at about 50 feet AGL when his parachute caught on the tow release handle. In attempting to turn to the runway, he dragged a wing. The glider fuselage broke aft of the cockpit.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N604VP
- Reported as
- Glassflugel 604
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 7
- Airframe hours
- 420
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mark P. Bratton
- Registered owner
- Mark P. Bratton
- Departed
- RFG · Refugio, TX
- Destination
- RFG · Refugio, TX
- Airport
- RFG · Rooke Field, runway 14, 3,240 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 52 in this make and model · 29 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.