- Date
- July 13, 1987, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Maricopa, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N103BGBurkhart Grob G-103A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 25654
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 rprtd that after gliding in a sink for svrl minutes, he began flying about 500' above a north-south mtn ridge in search of lift. While on a northerly heading, the left wing rose & the plt interpreted this as lift. He turned to the left (west) which put the glider on the lee side of the ridge. The glider then entered a sink & went below the ridge line. The plt traded alt for speed as he headed toward the sailport. Rprtdly, the glider was traveling at about 100 KTS when a wing hit a tall (tree like) cactus & then the glider crashed. About 15 mi away at phoenix, the wind was from 120 deg at 6 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N103BG
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G-103A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 33954 K-187
- Airframe hours
- 1,912
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Arizona Soaring Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 16, 1987 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- E68 · Maricopa, AZ
- Airport
- E-68 · Estrella Sailport
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 103 total · 76 in this make and model · 67 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 102 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PHX, 15 nm away