NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA25LA354
Registry · N68MF
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
JONKER SAILPLANES (PTY) LTD JS3
Year of manufacture
2022 · 3 years old at event
Engine
M&D FLUGZE MD-TJ42
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20220701
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A901F7
Registrant of record
SUMNER JOHN
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to properly configure the glider for landing, which resulted in an excessive descent rate during approach, and subsequent collision with trees short of the intended landing area.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the turbine powered (jet sustainer) motorglider reported that during descent to the airport, he deployed and operated the jet sustainer for 90 seconds. After turning off the jet sustainer, the pilot forgot to stow it, resulting in increased drag. After entering the traffic pattern, the pilot configured the glider for landing by extending the flaps and landing gear, but the jet sustainer remained extended. The pilot noticed a sink rate in excess of normal, and attempted to resolve the condition by reducing flaps, but inadvertently placed the flaps in the full negative position, which deployed the spoilers and increased the sink rate further. He continued in the airport traffic pattern; however, during the base leg to final leg turn, he realized that impact with a tree line was likely and decided to level the wings to make contact with the trees in a controlled fashion. The glider subsequently impacted the trees resulting in substantial damage to its right wing. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the glider. 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-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Pilot
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Configuration-Incorrect use/operation
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2025_ERA25LA354.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.