- Date
- October 17, 1988, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bridgeport, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8349Pilatus B4PC11
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881017048329A
- Case key
- 22692
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 glider was being tow-launched by an automobile from the pilot's private ranch airstrip. When the glider was approximately 250 feet AGL, the tow rope separated and the pilot attempted to return to the airstrip. A downdraft made this impossible and the pilot elected to mush into a tree line, rather than land in a deep gully that was just short of the airstrip. The plt had a large recently mowed hay field directly ahead before turning.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8349
- Reported as
- Pilatus B4PC11
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 062
- Airframe hours
- 445
- Engine
- Unknown UNKNOWN, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles C. Sitzes
- Registered owner
- Stitzes, Charlie C.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 3, 1987 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- TX37
- Destination
- TX37
- Airport
- TX37 · Flying S Ranch, runway 18, 1,750 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 14,400 total · 52 in this make and model · 12,700 as pilot in command · 144 in the last 90 days · 44 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.