- Date
- October 2, 1988, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Yoder, KS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N73483Schweizer TG3A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881002042789A
- Case key
- 34706
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
An abrupt maneuver resulting in a stall/spin and subsequent aircraft control not being maintained by the pilot in command.
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
While being towed to altitude, the student pilot said that the tow rope broke at about 200 to 300 feet AGL. He executed a turn for an emergency landing, and during the turn, stalled the acft. The glider descended uncontrolled colliding with trees, then the terrain. Post accident investigation revealed the tow rope had broken near the glider tow hook.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73483
- Reported as
- Schweizer TG3A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 51
- Airframe hours
- 1,388
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wichita Soaring Assoc. Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 18, 1988 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- KS76 · Yoder, KS
- Airport
- KS76 · Sunflower, runway 35, 7,000 × 300 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
- 22
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 76 total · 7 in this make and model · 58 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 45 °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.