NTSB BFO85LA078 — 1985-09-19 · NEW CASTLE, Virginia, United States

Current FAA registration · N39DG

Make / Model: SCHLEICHER ASW-20
Engine: NONE NONE
Seats / Engines: 1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19820319
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A480C2

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N39DG Schleicher ASW-20 Serious

Factual narrative

ACCORDING TO THE PLT, AFTER EXPERIENCING A LOSS OF LIFT, HE FLEW OVER THE OPEN FIELD, OBSERVED ELECTRICAL WIRES, AND CONTINUED TO FLY PARALLEL WITH THE WIRES. AS HE TURNED WESTWARD TO LAND IN THE FIELD, THE PLT LOST SIGHT OF THE POWER LINES IN THE SUNSET. NEXT, THE PLT OBSERVED THE WIRES CONTACTING THE ACFT, ALTHOUGH A STATE TROOPER COULD NOT FIND EVIDENCE OF THE WIRES COLLIDING WITH ANY OF THE GLIDER'S WING SURFACES. THE LEFT WING OF THE GLIDER THEN STRUCK TWO FENCE POSTS AND THE ACFT GROUND-LOOPED BEFORE COMING TO REST. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1985_BFO85LA078.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.