- Date
- September 15, 2008, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Blairstown, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1263Glasflugel H-301
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 22, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Allentown, Pennsylvania
- FAA report
- 20080915844639A
- Case key
- 68942
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 inadvertent retraction of flaps during the landing flare.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated he was conducting a personal flight and flew around the local area before returning to his departure airport. He entered a left downwind for runway 25 and completed his before-landing checks. The winds were reported to be out of the west at 16 knots gusting to 26 knots. He lowered flaps, extended the speed brakes, and turned on final approach. The landing flare was initiated over the runway and he reached over to retract the speed brakes, and inadvertently retracted the flaps. The glider collided with the runway hard and came to a stop. The pilot exited the glider without assistance and without injury. Examination of the glider revealed that the tail section of the glider received structural damage. The pilot stated he did not experience any mechanical problems with the glider before the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated he was conducting a personal flight and flew around the local area before returning to his departure airport. He entered a left downwind for runway 25 and completed his before landing checks. The winds were reported to be out of the west at 16 knots gusting to 26 knots. He lowered flaps, extended the speed brakes, and turned on final approach. The landing flare was initiated over the runway and he reached over to retract the speed brakes, and inadvertently retracted the flaps. The glider collided with the runway hard and came to a stop. The pilot exited the glider with out assistance and with out injury. Examination of the glider revealed the tail section of the glider received structural damage. The pilot stated he did not experience any mechanical problems with the glider before the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1263
- Reported as
- Glasflugel H-301
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 78
- Airframe hours
- 2,570
- Engine
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Rudolf K. Braun
- Registered owner
- Rudolf K. Braun
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2008 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- 1N7 · Blairstown, NJ
- Destination
- 1N7 · Blairstown, NJ
- Airport
- NJ · Blairstown, runway 25, 3,100 × 70 ft, grass/turf
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
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- April 1, 2008
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 500 total · 40 in this make and model · 500 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,600 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.84 inHg
- Observed at
- 12N, 79 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.