- Date
- May 10, 2007, 10:40 local (17:40 UTC)
- Place
- Minden, NV
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N49443Burkhart Grob G103 Twin II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20070510009539A
- Case key
- 65768
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 failure to maintain an adequate airspeed, which led to an inadvertent stall.
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 student pilot stalled the glider and impacted the ground hard about 100 feet short of the 5,300-foot-long runway. The accident occurred while the certified flight instructor (CFI) observed his student perform the 4th landing following her initial solo flight. The CFI reported that his student's first three landings had been somewhat long. Before the student departed on her 4th flight, she stated to him that she would try to land shorter. The CFI reported that the glider appeared to be descending slowly, and when it was about 100 feet short of the approach end of runway 30 it stalled, rapidly descended, and impacted the ground. The wind was light and variable.
Factual narrative
On May 10, 2007, about 1040 Pacific daylight time, a Burkhart Grob, G103 Twin II, N49443, stalled on short final approach and impacted the ground hard. The accident occurred at the Minden-Tahoe Airport, Minden, Nevada. The glider was substantially damaged, and the pilot received a minor injury. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed for the local area solo instructional flight. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and it originated from Minden about 1027.
The student held a private pilot certificate, airplane single engine land, and she was working to obtain a glider rating. In the student glider pilot's completed "Aircraft Accident Report," she indicated that on short final approach the glider "encountered heavy sink, lost altitude, and landed 100 feet short of runway." She additionally reported that the accident could have been prevented if she had "more altitude/speed on final."
The student's certified flight instructor (CFI) reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that he was monitoring his student's first solo flight, and he witnessed the accident. The CFI stated that his student's first three landings had been somewhat long. Before the student departed on her 4th flight, she stated to him that she would try to land shorter. The CFI reported that the glider appeared to be descending slowly, and when it was about 100 feet short of the approach end of runway 30 it stalled, rapidly descended and impacted the ground.
The student reported to the Safety Board investigator that the wind was light and variable. The CFI reported that he did not detect any wind gust. About 46 minutes after the accident the airport's automated weather observing system reported a calm wind condition.
Runway 30 is 5,300 feet long and 75 feet wide.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N49443
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G103 Twin II
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 3848-K-94
- Engine
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Soar Minden
- Registered owner
- Antonio Sabino
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- MEV · Minden, NV
- Destination
- MEV · Minden, NV
- Airport
- MEV · Minden-Tahoe, runway 30, 5,300 × 75 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
- 37
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 81 total · 9 in this make and model · 21 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- MEV, 1 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.
Other investigations on N49443 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.