- Date
- September 12, 2006, 13:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Minden, NV
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N790GBurkhart Grob G-103A Twin II Acro
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20060912018869A
- Case key
- 64573
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 inadequate pre-takeoff checks by the flightcrew that failed to detect that the spoilers were deployed during the takeoff and initial climb. Also causal was the inadequate supervision of the flight by the flight instructor.
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 local area instructional glider flight departed from the runway with the aid of a tow airplane. At 50 feet agl, the tow pilot observed the glider's spoilers were in a deployed configuration. He signaled (wag the rudder) the pilots to check the spoilers. The glider then moved to the left, causing a strain on the tow rope. The tow pilot said that the glider pilot then terminated the tow about 120 feet agl as the glider was turning back to the runway. Prior to crossing the airport perimeter fence, one of the glider's wings struck a telephone pole. The glider cartwheeled, and came to rest upright on airport property.
Factual narrative
On September 12, 2006, about 1320 Pacific daylight time, a Burkhart Grob G-103A Twin II Acro, N790G, collided with objects during the return for landing at Minden-Tahoe Airport (MEV), Minden, Nevada. Soar Minden, Inc., was operating the glider under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a local area instructional flight. The certified flight instructor (CFI) pilot was killed, and the student pilot sustained serious injuries; the glider sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The tow pilot reported that at 50 feet above ground level (agl) he observed the glider's spoilers in the up position (deployed), and signaled (wag the rudder) to the pilot to check his spoilers. The glider then moved to the left, causing a strain on the tow rope. The tow pilot indicated that the glider pilot then terminated the tow about 120 feet agl.
According to the operator, the glider had a tandem seating arrangement; the student pilot was seated in the front, and the CFI was seated in the rear seat. After takeoff, the tow pilot signaled the pilots' that the spoilers were deployed. The glider pilot released and terminated the tow and made an immediate turn back toward runway 12. During the maneuver, one of the gliders' wings struck a telephone pole, which caused it to cartwheel before coming to rest short of the runway.
The operator further reported that as a result of this accident they changed their tow pilot policy. The new policy recommends that the tow pilots communicate a "spoilers open" configuration first by radio, and then second with a standard signal "ONLY" after the tow plane has managed to gain at least 250 feet agl, and/or turned the glider around so it is facing toward the runway if possible.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N790G
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G-103A Twin II Acro
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 33987-K-220
- Airframe hours
- 6,677
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Soar Minden, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 1, 2006
- Departed
- MEV · Minden, NV
- Destination
- MEV · Minden, NV
- Airport
- MEV · Douglas County, runway 12, 7,400 × 100 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 79
- Injuries
- Fatal
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Last flight review
- January 1, 2006
- Seat
- Rear
- Role
- Student pilot
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 10 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.29 inHg
- Observed at
- TVL, 13 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.