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Atlas / NTSB / CEN22LA363

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event CEN22LA363

2022-08-07 Waller, Texas, United States Airport · 89TA None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain the proper descent rate during an off-airport landing.

Factual narrative

The glider was being air towed by an airplane. The glider pilot reported that, the takeoff roll and liftoff were normal, but halfway down the runway, he heard an “unfamiliar wind noise in the cockpit.” He lost sight of the tow airplane and pulled his tow release handle. The pilot attempted to land straight ahead but was unsuccessful in deploying the airbrakes. Subsequently, he turned right to land between a hanger and trees. During the forced landing in a grass field, the empennage section sustained substantial damage. The glider pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot
  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_CEN22LA363.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.