- Date
- August 24, 1986, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Hutchinson, KS
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5924Scheibe Flugzeugbau Bergfalke II-55
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860824086549A
- Case key
- 34235
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 stated that he performed what he thought was a thorough pre-flight inspection, including the installation of the horizontal tail, before he pushed the aircraft onto the runway and hooked the tow line. Immediately after liftoff, the pilot further stated the elevator controls did not respond to his inputs and he aborted the aero towing operation by breaking away from the tow aircraft. According to the pilot, as he deployed the dive brakes the nose dropped and the glider struck the runway where it bounced several times. Post accident investigation revealed that the elevator push rod had not been attached prior to this flight. The tow plane was not damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5924
- Reported as
- Scheibe Flugzeugbau Bergfalke II-55 (BERGFALKE)
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 085
- Airframe hours
- 1,043
- Engine
- None NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wichita Soaring Assoc. Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 10, 1986
- Airport
- KS76 · Sunflower Aerodrome, runway 17L, 7,000 × 200 ft, concrete
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
- 20
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 194 total · 4 in this make and model · 171 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HUT, 10 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.
Other investigations on N5924 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.