Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
New Castle Gliderport Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
New Castle, Virginia 24127
Saturday, September 14, 1991 13:20 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
WITNESSES REPORTED THE MOTORIZED GLIDER LIFTED, CLIMBED, AND THEN DESCENDED INTO A 45 FOOT HIGH POWERLINE BEFORE IT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. WITNESSES STATED THE GLIDER TAKEOFF RUN WAS LONGER THAN USUAL. WITNESS STATED THE ENGINE SOUNDS WERE NORMAL. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS COMPUTED TO BE OVER 4000 FEET MSL. ACCORDING TO PERFORMANCE CHARTS, THE TAKEOFF ROLL AND TOTAL DISTANCE OVER A 50 FOOT OBSTACLE WAS 1696 AND 2972 FEET RESPECTIVELY BASED ON AN ELEVATION OF 1500 FEET AND 86 DEGREE F TEMPERATURE. THE AIRFIELD ELEVATION WAS 1320 FEET, AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS 96 DEGREES F. THE GLIDER WAS DETERMINED TO BE ABOUT 15 LBS OVERGROSS. THE EXAMINATION DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL MUSH. CONTRIBUTING WAS A HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE CAUSING DETERIORATED AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE, AND AN INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PREPARATION WHICH RESULTED IN AN OVERGROSS AIRCRAFT CONDITION.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/14/1991 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1320 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | NEW CASTLE |
| Event State | VIRGINIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 24127 |
| Event Date Year | 1991 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | NEW CASTLE GLIDERPORT |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 25 |
| Airport Elevation | 1320 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1320 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 155 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ROA |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1176 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 10 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Not Reported |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 6000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 25 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 33 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 17 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 350 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 11 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 4000 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2298 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 14 1991 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1430 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 50110 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 12 2000 10:43AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N102AG |
| NTSB Number | BFO91LA082 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Schempp-Hirth |
| Aircraft Model | VENUS CM |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | VENUS CM |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 37 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 948 |
| Aircraft Category | Glider |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 1 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jun 19 1990 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 196 |
| Airframe Hours | 197 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | CHILDREN OF THE MIST INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 484 |
| Aircraft Owner City | WILMINGTON |
| Aircraft Owner State | DE |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 19899 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | CHILDREN OF THE MIST INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | P.O. BOX 484 |
| Operator City | WILMINGTON |
| Operator State | DE |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 19899 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1400 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Takeoff |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 36 |
| Runway Length | 3000 |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |