Event ATL87LA208

Factual narrative

THE PRIVATE PLT WAS ON HIS FIRST FLT OF THE DAY IN A GLIDER THAT HE HAD NOT FLOWN RECENTLY. HE REPORTED THE TAKEOFF, TOW AND TRAFFIC PATTERN AS NORMAL. HE USED THE SPOILERS SPARINGLY UNTIL HE TURNED FINAL. HE WAS MOST SURPRISED, HE SAID, WHEN ONE OF THE ACFT'S WINGS CONTACTED A SMALL TREE JUST PRIOR TO TOUCH DOWN. HIS REPORT SHOWS THAT THE IMPACT WITH THE TREE WAS 525 FT SHORT OF THE END OF THE PARALLEL ASPHALT RWY. ALSO SHOWN ON HIS REPORT IS HIS INTENDED GROUND TRACK WHICH IS SHOWN WEST (LEFT) OF THE RWY CENTER LINE. THE LEFT WING OF THE GLIDER HIT THE TREE. THE ARPT DIAGRAM FOUND IN THE 1987 GEORGIA ARPT DIRECTORY DOES NOT SHOW THE GRASS RWY. ANOTHER GLIDER CLUB OPERATING AT THE ARPT HAD, REPORTEDLY, DISTRIBUTED A DIAGRAM SHOWING THE GRASS RWY STARTING EVEN WITH THE END OF THE PAVED 03 RWY. THERE WERE NO MARKINGS TO SHOW THE CENTER LINE OR THE END OF THE GRASS RWY. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12