- Date
- July 15, 1989, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Maricopa, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N925GBurkhart Grob G-102
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890715028739A
- Case key
- 26450
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 inability to maintain airspeed, resulting in a hard landing. Also causal to the accident was the opening of the canopy for undetermined reasons.
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 glider had just departed the glider port behind a tow plane. At 200 feet AGL, the canopy snapped open and the tow rope broke. The pilot made a 180 degree turn and landed hard on the departure runway. The pilot stated the canopy was closed and locked before he started the takeoff roll. An FAA inspector inspected the canopy and could find nothing wrong with the locking mechanism.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N925G
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G-102
- Category
- Glider
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert Harris Leasing
- Departed
- E68
- Airport
- E68 · 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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 80 total · 6 in this make and model · 55 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
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 N925G · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.