NTSB CEN25LA177 — 2025-05-14 · Hinckley, Illinois, United States

Current FAA registration · N246GC

Make / Model: ROLLADEN-SCHNEIDER LS-6B
Seats / Engines: 1 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A246E2

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N246GC ROLLADEN-SCHNEIDER LS-6B None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the glider during takeoff.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he lost control of the glider during the first few seconds of the aerotow takeoff and the glider’s left wing contacted the ground. He stated that he released the glider from the tow airplane, but the glider cartwheeled. The pilot noted that he did not have a wing runner for the takeoff attempt. At the time of the accident the pilot reported that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the glider and that he had “poor airmanship” and was rushing in his flight preparations. The glider sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Lateral/bank control-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_CEN25LA177.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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