- Date
- June 18, 1993, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Columbus, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N101AZStart & Flug H-101 Salto
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930618025819A
- Case key
- 38607
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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing. A factor related to the accident was the interruption of the glider pilot's planned approach by a powered airplane.
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 on approach for landing on the grass runway 22. The pilot extended his base leg during the approach to accommodate a powered airplane, which had entered the pattern. He then decided that it would be difficult for him to complete the landing on the planned grass runway, so he changed the landing site to a grass area with which he was not familiar. During the landing roll, the glider impacted a ditch damaging the tail section. The pilot said that this was his first flight at this airport.
Factual narrative
On Friday, June 18, 1993, at 1400 eastern daylight time, a Start Fuge, H 101 Salto, a glider, N101AZ, registered to and piloted by Walter Parrasch, sustained substantial damage during a landing at Bolton Field, Columbus, Ohio. The pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR 91.
The pilot extended his landing pattern for a powered airplane. He then decided that he would be unable to land in the planned area, so he selected another grass area on which to land. During the landing roll the glider struck a ditch, and the tail section was torn off.
The pilot said, "I landed safely and I was on my final rollout, when suddenly the drainage ditch appeared, which I did not know was there. This was my first landing at this airport and [I] did not realize there was a drainage ditch in my path."
In a telephone interview conducted on September 9, 1993, the pilot stated that he had arrived at this airport for the first time on the morning of the accident. He said that glider flying was not usually conducted at this airport. He felt that they should have been using the paved runway rather than the grass.
Mr. Richard D. Blazso, an Aviation Safety Inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration, stated in his report, "Due to conflicting powered aircraft, the pilot extended his base leg, which made him elect to land on the grass strip next to the taxiway. Touchdown and landing were normal. Aircraft rolled approximately 150 yards and struck a small ditch..."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N101AZ
- Reported as
- Start & Flug H-101 Salto (H-101 SALT)
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 60
- Airframe hours
- 600
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Walter Parrasch
- Registered owner
- Walter Parrasch
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 14, 1992
- Airport
- 2I4 · Bolton Field, runway 22, 5,200 × 100 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
- 70
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 1,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.