- Date
- September 5, 1986, 13:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- California City, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N630BGBurkhart Grob G102 III B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860905050929A
- Case key
- 25268
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 plt stated he was towed to an alt of aprx 2,000 ft AGL. After release the canopy came open and the plt returned to the arpt. On final apch he noticed the airspeed indicator was indicating 'low forties'. The plt stated the next thing he remembered was 'looking forward and seeing the ground, with slight rotation. Spin!' The acft collided with the ground in a 45 deg nose down attitude. A plt who witnessed the accident indicated he first observed the glider on final apch. He stated, 'it looked level and normal, then the nose came down in a steep attitude (not un-common) the nose came up,' at about 50 ft AGL and then the nose went left.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N630BG
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G102 III B
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 563008
- Airframe hours
- 193
- Engine
- unknown UNK, unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- California City Soaring
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 3, 1986 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- L71 · California City, CA
- Airport
- L71 · California City Muni, runway 24, 6,035 × 55 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
- 66
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 768 total · 15 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.