- Date
- July 23, 1989, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ms State Univ, MS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9944JSchweizer SGS 1-26C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890723027199A
- Case key
- 32469
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
Improper in-flight planning/decison by the pilot. Contributing factors were: failure of the tow vehicle driver to use/maintain the proper speed, the pilot's lack of total flying experience, and high vegetation (uncut hay).
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
An auto tow was being used to launch the glider. As the glider reached an alt of about 200 to 250 ft, the auto driver realized he was exceeding the planned speed, so he slowed the auto by 5 to 10 mph. At that time, the tow line slackened,then released automatically. The student plt decided to land straight ahead into an uncut hay field. Drg the landing, the hay caught the right wing & the glider ground looped, damaging the wing & fuselage. The recognized soaring publications advised that 180 deg turns back to the rwy for downwind lndgs were safe & permissible at altitudes of 200 ft or more.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9944J
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 1-26C
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 92
- Airframe hours
- 700
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- State College Glider Club, Inc
- Registered owner
- Mississippi St. Glider Club
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 3, 1989 · 3 hours before
- Airport
- STF · George M Bryan Field, runway 18, 5,050 × 150 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
- 38
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 28 total · 3 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CBM, 22 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.