- Date
- June 11, 2010, 16:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Minden, NV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N41KPBurkhart Grob G103C Twin III Acro
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Loss of lift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 21, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20100611036239A
- Case key
- 76301
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 encounter with an area of degraded lift during cruise flight, resulting in a forced off-airport landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that during cruise flight in the glider he encountered significant sinking air that prevented him from being able to make his destination glider port. He elected to make an off-field landing into a field. During the landing roll, the left wing contacted the ground and turned the glider to the left. During the turn, the glider's tail assembly separated from the fuselage. There was substantial damage to the tail structure.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that during cruise flight in the glider he encountered significant sinking air that prevented him from being able to make his destination glider port. He elected to make an off-field landing into a field. During the landing roll, the left wing contacted the ground and turned the glider to the left. During the turn, the glider's tail assembly separated from the fuselage. There was substantial damage to the tail structure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41KP
- Reported as
- Burkhart Grob G103C Twin III Acro
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 34176
- Airframe hours
- 1,069
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Northern California Soaring Association
- Registered owner
- Northern California Soaring Association
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 6, 2010
- Departed
- Flanagan Dry Lk, NV
- Destination
- Minden, NV
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
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 14, 2009
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,800 total · 45 in this make and model · 2,637 as pilot in command · 194 in the last 90 days · 69 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- RNO, 28 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 14, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 618 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.