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NTSB SUMMARIES - 1998

These summaries are taken directly from NTSB final and preliminary reports and contain no comments from the Soaring Society of America or the Soaring Safety Foundation.

1998 NTSB SUMMARIES

Aircraft: H 301 Libelle
Phase: Takeoff
Damage: Substantial
Injury: Minor

According to the pilot, the wingrunner released the wing of the glider after a ground roll of approximately 50 feet. Shortly thereafter, the right wing dropped and the pilot reported that he attempted to recover but the wing hit the ground. As the glider departed the runway, the pilot released the towline, opened the spoilers, and applied the brake. Before the glider could be stopped, however, it struck a parked aircraft located approximately 100 feet from the runway. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of the accident to be the failure of the pilot in command to maintain directional control of the glider due to the improper use of the flight controls. The private pilot had 688 hours of experience in gliders, including 184 hours in this make and model.


Aircraft: Grob G103
Phase: Landing
Damage: Substantial
Injury: None

Established on final approach, the pilot applied full spoilers. The pilot reported that as he flared for landing, the glider touched down "sooner than it should have" and bounced. The pilot attempted to recover by retracting the spoilers and reducing the pitch attitude. The pilot stated that he "temporarily lost control" of the glider following a subsequent hard landing on the nosewheel. The probable cause of the accident, as determined by the NTSB, was the failure of the pilot to properly flare the glider during landing and the pilot's improper use of the aircraft spoilers. The pilot had 148 hours of experience in airplanes and gliders, including 3 hours in the Grob 103.


Aircraft: DG - 101
Phase: Takeoff
Damage: Substantial
Injury: None

Following a normal liftoff, the pilot stated that the glider bounced, causing it to climb rapidly to approximately 50 feet agl. The pilot elected to release the towline and land straight ahead. During this maneuver, however, the right wing of the glider struck the ground and the glider came to rest in an inverted position.

An investigation by the NTSB determined the probable cause of the accident to be the failure of the pilot in command to maintain control of the glider. Factors contributing to the accident included improper use of the flight controls and the pilot's lack of total experience in the DG - 101. The private pilot had 225 hours of experience in single engine airplanes and gliders. The pilot had 2 hours of experience in the DG-101 glider.


Aircraft: Grob G109B
Phase: Landing
Damage: Substantial
Injury: None

The motorized glider departed the runway and struck two parked aircraft following a loss of control while landing. The pilot stated that she over-controlled with spoilers after having bounced on landing due to a high rate of sink. According to the accident report, the pilot was flying the aircraft from the right seat, a position from which she had limited experience. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the accident to be the failure of the pilot in command to maintain control of the aircraft. The NTSB further stated that the situation was preceded by a high sink rate that resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inexperience at flying the motorglider from the right seat. The commercial pilot reported 1,330 hours of experience in airplanes and gliders, including 15 hours in the Grob G109.


Aircraft: Nimbus 2
Phase: Takeoff
Damage: Substantial
Injury: Serious

During the takeoff roll, the pilot made the transition from negative flaps to positive flaps after the controls became effective. The flap transition was rapid and the glider began to oscillate in p itch. The oscillations became divergent and the glider rolled off on a wing and collided with the ground shortly after the towline broke. The pilot stated that he went from negative to positive flaps too quickly, resulting in the loss of aircraft control. The commercial pilot had 1,617 hours in airplanes and gliders. Additionally, the pilot reported 20 hours of experience in this make and model of glider. According to the NTSB, the probable cause of the accident was the failure of the pilot to follow procedures and directives when operating the glider's flaps.

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