- Date
- May 13, 2000, 14:55 local (18:55 UTC)
- Place
- Wellington, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3872GBurkhart Grob G103
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000513042829A
- Case key
- 49192
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 failure to maintain aircraft control. A factor was the pilot's improper in-flight decision to abort the initial climb due to an open canopy.
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 was in a glider being towed by an airplane. After takeoff, about 50 feet above the ground, the rear canopy of the glider 'banged' open. The pilot decided to abort the climb in an attempt to prevent canopy damage. He released from tow, and tried to land on the remaining runway. The pilot added that during the attempt, he lost control of the glider, and impacted terrain.
Factual narrative
On May 13, 2000, about 1455 Eastern Daylight Time, a Grob G103 (glider), N3872G, was substantially damaged during an aborted climb-out from Botsford Airport (67D), Wellington, Ohio. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The glider was departing Runway 18, a 2,700 foot long and 300 foot wide grass runway. The pilot stated that the glider was being towed by an airplane. About 50 feet above the ground, the rear canopy "banged" opened, and the pilot decided to abort the climb in an attempt to prevent canopy damage. He released from tow, and tried to land on the remaining runway. During the attempt, he lost control of the glider, it "came down flat," and impacted terrain. The glider came to rest off the right side of the runway, abeam the departure end.
Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions, nor did the pilot report any.
At 1453, the reported winds at an airport approximately 10 miles from the accident site, were from 270 degrees at 16 knots, gusting to 24 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3872G
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G103
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 3777
- Airframe hours
- 2,239
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Fun Country Soaring Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 18, 2000 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- 67D
- Airport
- 67D · Botsford Airfield, runway 18, 2,700 × 300 ft, grass/turf
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 74
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,149 total · 100 in this make and model · 2,000 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 16 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LPR, 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.