Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Ridge Soaring Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Julian, Pennsylvania 16844
Monday, August 29, 1983 11:50 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE STUDENT PLT & INSTRUCTOR (CFI) WERE PRACTICING PATTERN WORK & LANDINGS. DURING THE 1ST 3 PATTERNS, THE WIND WAS CALM, HOWEVER, BY THE TIME THEY WERE ON THEIR 4TH PATTERN, THE WIND INCREASED & BECAME GUSTY. WHILE THE STUDENT WAS FLYING THE PATTERN, HE ALLOWED THE GLIDER TO GET LOW ON BASE LEG. THE CFI BELIEVED THERE WOULD BE NO PROBLEM, BUT ON FINAL, THE AIRSPEED DECREASED & THE CFI TOOK CONTROL. HE LOWERED THE NOSE TO GAIN AIRSPEED, BUT THEY ENCOUNTERED UNEXPECTED, SEVERE SINK & WIND GRADIENTS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE GLIDER CONTACTED THE TOP OF CORN GROWING NEAR THE END OF THE RWY. THE RIGHT WING ENCOUNTERED MORE OF THE CORN THAN THE LEFT WING & THE GLIDER SWERVED RIGHT & IMPACTED THE GROUND SIDEWAYS.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/29/1983 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 1150 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | JULIAN |
| Event State | PENNSYLVANIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 16844 |
| Event Date Year | 1983 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | RIDGE SOARING |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 815 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 50 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 24 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 270 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 15 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1502 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 21796 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 9:15AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N906BG |
| NTSB Number | NYC83LA229 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BURKHART GROB |
| Aircraft Model | FLUGZEUGBAU G103 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | FLUGZEUGBA |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 3604 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 700 |
| 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 | 2 |
| Number of Engines | -- |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Apr 9 1983 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 98 |
| Airframe Hours | 9810 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | DOIS F. GROVE |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | RD |
| Aircraft Owner City | JULIAN |
| Aircraft Owner State | PA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | JAMES F. PLETCHER |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | RD #2, BOX 1756 |
| Operator City | LOCK HAVEN |
| Operator State | PA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| 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) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | JULIAN |
| Departure State | PA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1145 |
| 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 | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:31AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 24 |
| Runway Length | 3500 |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |