- Date
- June 4, 1994, 19:00 local (Jun 5, 1994, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wellington, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5462NBurkhart Grob G 103 Twin II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 19086
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 improper spoiler extension and flare.
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 opened the spoilers halfway on base leg, then opened them fully on final approach. As he flared for landing, the aircraft touched down 'sooner than it should have' and bounced. The pilot attempted to recover by retracting the spoilers to the halfway position and reducing the nose up attitude. The aircraft landed hard on its nosewheel and the pilot said he 'temporarily lost control.'
Factual narrative
On June 4, 1994, approximately 1900 mountain daylight time, a Burkhart Grob G 103 Twin II, N5462N, was substantially damaged during landing at Wellington, Colorado. The private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
The following is based on the pilot/operator report. The newly certificated glider pilot was on his third solo flight in the G 103. The first solo flight had been uneventful. On his second solo flight, the landing approach had been flown faster than normal and the aircraft bounced on touchdown. On the third solo flight, the spoilers were opened halfway on base leg, and fully opened on final approach. The pilot said as he flared, the aircraft touched down "sooner than it should have" and bounced. He attempted to recover by retracting the spoilers to the halfway position and reducing the nose up attitude, but the aircraft landed hard on its nosewheel. The pilot said he "temporarily lost control" and the aircraft bounced along the ground, damaging the tailboom and vertical stabilizer.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5462N
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G 103 Twin II (G 103 TWIN)
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 3875
- Airframe hours
- 1,654
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Colorado Soaring Association
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 25, 1994 · 30 hours before
- Airport
- 4CO2 · Owl Canyon, runway 19R, 4,000 × 15 ft, dirt
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 148 total · 3 in this make and model · 73 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
Other investigations on N5462N · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.