- Date
- May 26, 1984, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pepperell, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N245JDRolladen-Schneider LS-4A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840526025019A
- Case key
- 35666
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 glider was attempting a tow-launch when the right wing tip struck a clump of high grass. The glider yawed right and collided with the asphalt rwy, breaking the fuselage and collapsing the landing gear. The pilot stated that the grass was too high for a low wing sailplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N245JD
- Reported as
- Rolladen-Schneider LS-4A
- Category
- Glider, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 4329
- Airframe hours
- 100
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James L. Dwyer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 5, 1983 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- MA09 · Pepperell, MA
- Airport
- MA09 · Pepperell, runway 24
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Flight hours
- 280 total · 79 in this make and model · 250 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
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 N245JD · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.