- Date
- November 14, 1992, 15:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Calistoga, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N360GGGlaser-Dirks DG400
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921114046499A
- Case key
- 27864
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 failure of the brakes due to a separation of the brake cable for undetermined reasons. A factor in the accident was the tailwind condition during the landing rollout.
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 said, and ground witnesses confirmed, that he landed in a 15 knot tailwind on the approach end of the runway. When the pilot applied the brakes to stop the glider, no resistance was felt on the brake control handle and the glider would not slow down. The pilot said that when he knew he could not stop prior to over running the end of the runway he steered the aircraft toward a wooden wall of a commercial building instead of letting the aircraft continue toward a chain link fence. An FAA airworthiness inspector examined the experimental glider and found that a 1.6MM steel cable which runs between the cockpit brake handle and the main wheel brake actuator had separated. The inspector reported that the reason for the cable failure could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N360GG
- Reported as
- Glaser-Dirks DG400
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 4-276
- Airframe hours
- 162
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gary B. Gammal
- Registered owner
- Gary B. Gammal
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 8, 1992 · 52 hours before
- Departed
- O58
- Destination
- O58
- Airport
- O58 · Calistoga Glider Port, runway 29, 2,600 × 20 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
- 65
- Certificate
- Private
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 279 total · 162 in this make and model · 208 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.