- Date
- April 6, 2012, 16:52 local (22:52 UTC)
- Place
- Nampa, ID
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N990Fisher HP-14 Sailplane
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of lift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 83319
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 incorrect positioning of the wing flaps during the landing approach, which resulted in a loss of lift and hard landing.
Findings · 3
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 reported that, after soaring for nearly 3 hours, he returned to the departure airport and made a traffic pattern approach for landing. On final approach, he lowered the wing flaps to 40 degrees. The pilot additionally reported that, because it appeared the glider was going to be too high, he further extended the wing flaps. Suddenly, the glider’s sink rate increased, and the glider touched down hard short of the runway. The glider bounced and yawed sideways, the landing gear collapsed, and the fuselage buckled as the glider slid to a stop. The pilot stated that he subsequently observed that the flaps were set to 90 degrees, which was 30 degrees beyond what he had intended.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that after soaring for nearly 3 hours, he returned to the departure airport and made a traffic pattern approach for landing. On final approach, he lowered the wing flaps to 40 degrees. The pilot additionally reported that, because it appeared he was going to be too high, he further extended the wing flaps. Suddenly, the glider’s sink rate increased, and the glider touched down hard short of the runway. The glider bounced, yawed sideways, the landing gear collapsed, and the fuselage buckled as the glider slid to a stop. The pilot stated that he subsequently observed that the flaps were set to 90 degrees, which was 30 degrees farther down than he had intended.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N990
- Reported as
- Fisher HP-14 Sailplane
- Category
- Glider, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 152
- Airframe hours
- 343
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · March 27, 2012
- Departed
- MAN · Nampa, ID
- Destination
- MAN · Nampa, ID
- Airport
- MAN · Nampa Municipal, runway 29, 5,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 12, 2010
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 405 total · 178 in this make and model · 366 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 27, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 895 KB in all.