- Date
- September 12, 2007, 16:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Morganton, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N24WRSchleicher ASW-24E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20070912831379A
- Case key
- 66677
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 pilot to maintain airspeed while turning base to final resulting in the left wing contacting the ground.
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 had not flown the glider in 2 years and after being towed aloft, elected to return because he was not flying well. The flight entered the traffic pattern too low and at too low an airspeed. While turning base to final, the glider stalled and the left wing contacted the ground.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that after being towed aloft, light winds and light lift existed. He elected to return because he was not flying well, and while turning base to final, the left wing contacted the ground. He further reported that the traffic pattern was entered too low, and the airspeed was not maintained. Additionally, he had not flown the glider in the previous 2 years, and his "Lack of recent flying time is the major factor resulting in poor decisions on landing resulting in major damage to the glider."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24WR
- Reported as
- Schleicher ASW-24E
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 24861
- Engine
- Rotax 275, 26 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Alexander C. McKinley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KMRN · Morganton, NC
- Destination
- KMRN · Morganton, NC
- Airport
- KMRN · Foothills Regional Airport
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
- 75
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 2,499 total · 1 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.