No fatalities

13 Sep 2025: JONKER SAILPLANES (PTY) LTD JS3 — New Castle, VA

New Castle, VA, United States

On 13 Sep 2025, a JONKER SAILPLANES (PTY) LTD JS3 was involved in an aviation accident near New Castle, VA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to properly configure the glider for landing, which resulted in an excessive descent rate during approach, and subsequent collision with trees short of the intended landing area. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 6 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to properly configure the glider for landing, which resulted in an excessive descent rate during approach, and subsequent collision with trees short of the intended landing area.

— NTSB Determination

Contributing factors

PilotIncorrect use/operation