- Date
- July 29, 1990, 13:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Thompson Falls, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4166AGlasflugel H 301 Libelle
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900729037459A
- Case key
- 41252
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
A disabled aircraft blocking the active runway.
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
While the pilot was on downwind in the traffic pattern for landing, a glider ahead in the pattern blew a tire on touchdown and was sitting disabled on the runway. The pilot attempted to land on the unobstructed portion of rwy, but touched down about 75 feet short of the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4166A
- Reported as
- Glasflugel H 301 Libelle (H 301 LIBE)
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 52
- Airframe hours
- 1,608
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dale Walker
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 28, 1989 · 64 hours before
- Airport
- THM · Thompson Falls, runway 7, 2,200 × 50 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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 249 total · 11 in this make and model · 239 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FCA, 60 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.