- Date
- October 15, 1988, 13:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Borrego Springs, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N252JBArlington Sisu 1A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 29, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881015047629A
- Case key
- 26138
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
While thermal soaring, the acft entered a steep spinning descent, three turns to the right followed by two turns to the left and ground impact in a near vertical attitude. No evidence was found of aircraft structural failure or control malfunction. The pilot's partner in ownership of the glider and long-time close friend stated that he had inadvertently entered a spin in the aircraft several years earlier. He indicated that he had trouble recovering from it, speed brakes were ineffective and he could not recover from it until flaps were retracted and the control stick was pushed full forward. Although the wreckage was found with the speed brakes retracted and flaps extended about 10 degrees, both systems displayed substantial damage and it could not be determined what their pre-impact positions were.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N252JB
- Reported as
- Arlington Sisu 1A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 105
- Airframe hours
- 1,628
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Beran, Lynda G.
- Registered owner
- Beran, Lynda G
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · April 1, 1988 · 34 hours before
- Departed
- L08 · Borrego Spring, 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
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,011 total · 229 in this make and model · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 54 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.