- Date
- August 17, 1992, 11:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- Truckee, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3872HBurkhart Grob G103 Flugzeugbau
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920817031569A
- Case key
- 27733
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 poorly planned approach. Lack of supervision in the type of aircraft was a factor.
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 non-glider rated certificated private pilot was conducting his first supervised solo. After being released from an aero tow the pilot made a poorly planned approach and misjudged the glider's altitude. The glider undershot the runway and collided with the downward sloping terrain that precedes the runway's threshold.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3872H
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G103 Flugzeugbau (G103 FLUGZ)
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 3776
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Soar Truckee Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Sebald, Leslie E.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 1900
- Airport
- TRK · Truckee-Tahoe, runway 19, 4,650 × 75 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
- 53
- Certificates
- Student, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 650 total · 2 in this make and model · 490 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Wind
- 315° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 50 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.