- Date
- August 15, 1989, 14:05 local (21:05 UTC)
- Place
- Minden, NV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N300YSchleicher ASW-20BL
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890815029909A
- Case key
- 41063
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
Misunderstood emergency procedures, the glider pilot released from the tow which resulted in a hard landing. The pilot's preflight of the glider and radio communications were inadequate before and during the flight.
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
During a local pleasure flight, while still in tow, the tow plt transmitted to the glider. The glider plt could not understand the transmission and shortly thereafter noted that the tow planes rudder was wagging. The glider plt thought that the tow plt wanted him to release. The glider plt released from the tow at aprx 100' AGL which resulted in a hard landing. Later, the glider plt was notified that the reason for the transmission and the rudder wag was that he was being notified that the spoilers had deployed. The plt did not check during the preflight inspection if the spoilers had been locked.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N300Y
- Reported as
- Schleicher ASW-20BL
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 20658
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Skovgaard, Max O.
- Airport
- MEV · Minden, runway 30, 5,289 × 75 ft, dirt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 970 total · 510 in this make and model · 915 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.