- Date
- February 15, 1992, 13:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cottage Grove, OR
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8000ZKna,Ken,Dac,Wel Tern Sailplane
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920215003129A
- Case key
- 41630
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's inadequate preflight of the sailplane. Factors contributing to the accident were improper tow equipment and lack of total glider experience.
Analysis
During the initial takeoff roll the tern sailplane pitched nose up and the pilot was unable to maintain control. The pilot released from the tow aircraft but the sailplane had begun to spin and impacted the ground shortly thereafter. The sailplane was found to be equipped with only a CG tow attach point which is used for vehicle tow launches and is located aft of the nose under the cockpit. The sailplane did not possess an aero tow attach point mounted on the nose and used for aircraft launches. The pilot reported 557 hours of flight experience but only 15 hours were in gliders with no time logged in the make/model of the accident aircraft.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8000Z
- Reported as
- Kna,Ken,Dac,Wel Tern Sailplane (TERN SAILP)
- Category
- Glider, amateur-built
- Serial number
- KKDWWTM1070
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- J.Marshall,G.Oswald,H.Hoglan
- Registered owner
- J.Marshall,G.Oswald,H.Hoglan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
- Airport
- Cottage Grove State, runway 33, 3,200 × 60 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
- 27
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 557 total · 359 as pilot in command · 134 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EUG, 21 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.