No fatalities

26 Nov 2010: BURKHART GROB G-103A TWIN II ACRO — SKY SAILING INC — Warner Springs, CA

Warner Springs, CA, United States

On 26 Nov 2010, a BURKHART GROB G-103A TWIN II ACRO operated by SKY SAILING INC was involved in an aviation accident near Warner Springs, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The certified flight instructor's inadequate compensation for the crosswind and delayed remedial action during landing, which resulted in a ground loop. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 15 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A certified flight instructor and student pilot experienced a ground loop while landing a glider at a dirt runway after encountering a high sink rate; the tail boom was fractured.

Incident Overview

A certified flight instructor (CFI) was providing instruction to a student pilot in a glider. After a routine local instructional flight, the glider returned to the departure airport for landing. The aircraft flew a standard traffic pattern to runway 08R, a dirt glider landing area. Wind conditions at the time were from approximately 100 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to about 20 knots.

Sequence of Events

The student pilot was flying the glider, with the CFI providing verbal instructions. During the landing approach, the glider encountered a high sink rate. The CFI then took control of the glider, after which the aircraft ground looped.

Post-Accident Examination

A post-accident examination revealed that the glider's tail boom was fractured. No other damage or injuries were reported in the source.

Operational Context

The flight was conducted as a local instructional flight, and the landing was on a designated dirt glider landing area. The wind conditions included gusty winds that may have affected the landing performance.

Contributing factors

Causes

Response/compensationInstructor/check pilotDirectional control — Not attained/maintained

Other contributing factors

Effect on operation