- Date
- July 17, 1991, 13:40 local (17:40 UTC)
- Place
- Marion, OH
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5448XBurkhart Grob G103B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910717030569A
- Case key
- 37002
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 improper decision to change landing runways with insufficient altitude and airspeed which resulted in a dragged wing and ground loop.
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 set up on downwind for runway 24. The pilot turned based for runway 24, and changed his mind due to variable winds. He extended his base to land on runway 30. The glider lacked the altitude and airspeed to reach the desired runway. The glider struck the ground in a right wing low altitude which resulted in a ground loop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5448X
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G103B
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 3870K-111
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas I. Harnish
- Registered owner
- Central Ohio Soaring Assoc.
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Airport
- MNN · Marion County, runway 3, 3,497 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 68
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 2,526 total · 9 in this make and model · 2,200 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 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.