- Date
- June 8, 1991, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Saratoga, NY
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8041DGlasflugel Libelle 201B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910608020589A
- Case key
- 36940
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 failure of the pilot to adequately flare when making an uphill landing. Factors related to the accident were the pilot continued attempts at finding lift which reduced his landing options when he decided to land.
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
After flying for over 2 hours the pilot planned on an off airport landing. He then saw a cloud and tried for additional lift. He achieved a small amount of lift, however he was carried away from his intended landing area and was unable to make it back to the area. He planned for another field however he realized it was sloping the wrong way at an altitude that was too low to change. He continued the approach and landed. The FAA said the pilot landed on an up hill slope and the flare the pilot accomplished was insufficient for the uphill slope.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8041D
- Reported as
- Glasflugel Libelle 201B (LIBELLE 20)
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 440
- Airframe hours
- 1,435
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Philip Spaziani
- Registered owner
- William D. Davis
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 25, 1991 · 17 hours before
- Departed
- 5B2 · Saratoga, NY
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Flight hours
- 173 total · 48 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.