NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ATL86LA164
Registry · N2135R
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
HEAD BALLOONS AX8-105
Year of manufacture
2009
Engine
AMA/EXPR UNKNOWN ENG
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20090922
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A1C7BE
Registrant of record
GRIFFITH JUSTIN M
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
THE GLIDER LANDED SHORT OF THE RWY. THE PLT HAD OBSERVED ANOTHER ACFT ON THE RWY APCH END AND EXTENDED HIS BASE LEG. DURING THE TURN TO FINAL, HE DEPLOYED THE SPOILERS. HE REPORTED THAT THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A HIGH SINK RATE AFTER THE TURN, AND THAT HE SUBSEQUENTLY RETRACTED THE SPOILERS. THE ACFT DESCENDED BELOW THE TREES AND A TURN WAS MADE TO AVOID THEM. ANOTHER HIGH SINK RATE WAS EXPERIENCED AND THE ACFT STRUCK A TELEPHONE WIRE, THEN LANDED TAIL FIRST IN A GRASSY AREA NEAR THE RWY END. THE PLT STATED THAT THERE WERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1986_ATL86LA164.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (thunderstorm). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
The Impact of Thunderstorms on Take-off Data in South Africa
Aviation and meteorology are entwined disciplines, as aviation occurs in the atmosphere. Prevailing weather conditions at take-off are of utmost importance to aviation.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Thunderstorm hazards flight research: Storm hazards 1980 overview
A highly instrumented NASA F-106B aircraft, modified for the storm hazards mission and protected against direct lightning strikes, was used in conjunction with various ground based radar and lightning…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Proceedings
Operational evaluation of thunderstorm penetration test flights during project Storm Hazards '80
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is conducting a research project called Storm Hazards '80 in order to study the prediction, detectability and avoidance of the hazards of severe storm…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Nowcasting Thunderstorm Anvil Clouds Over KSC/CCAFS
Electrified thunderstorm anvil clouds extend the threat of natural and triggered lightning to space launch and landing operations far beyond the immediate vicinity of thunderstorm cells.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
An Examination of Aviation Accidents Associated with Turbulence, Wind Shear and Thunderstorm
The focal point of the study reported here was the definition and examination of turbulence, wind shear and thunderstorm in relation to aviation accidents.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Observations of severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops
Data derived from the flight tapes of two airliners that experienced severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops are used to produce quantitative descriptions of the turbulence and its environment.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗