- Date
- January 9, 1988, 13:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Tehachapi, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N109MDBurkhart Grob G109B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 18, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880109001099A
- Case key
- 25933
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 pilot and his passenger used the motorglider's powerplant to takeoff and climb to a mountain ridge to soar. Upon reaching the ridge top the pilot shut off the powerplant and entered soaring flight. The passenger stated that the motorglider descended into trees and then impacted the snow covered terrain. He said that the pilot did not attempt to restart the powerplant before colliding with the trees. Toxicological tests on the pilots blood and urine were conducted. They revealed 0.9 mcg/ml of brompheniramine in his urine and low concentrations of phenylpropanolamine and 6.0 mg/ml of marijuana metabolites in his blood. In addition, 62.0 mg/ml of marijuana metabolites were detected in his urine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N109MD
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G109B
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 6353
- Airframe hours
- 338
- Engine
- Grob 2500E1, 95 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Devereaux, Mark
- Registered owner
- Devereaux, Mark
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 4, 1987 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- TSP · Tehachapi, CA
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
- 62
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 22,153 total · 460 in this make and model · 9,806 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 85 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EDW, 30 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.