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LAX90LA282

1990-08-10 · LIANO, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N4426B

Make / Model
BURKHART GROB FLUGZEUGBAU G103 TWIN ASTIR
Year of manufacture
1983 · 7 years old at event
Engine
NONE NONE
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19830823
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A55537

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S INFLIGHT DECISION WAS IMPROPER. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S SELF-INDUCED PRESSURE.

Factual narrative

THE PIC WAS COMPLETING THE THIRD AND FINAL FLIGHT OF A CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR'S FLIGHT TEST. BEFORE THE FLT THE FAA INSPECTOR BRIEFED THE APPLICANT THAT THE FLIGHT WOULD ENTAIL A SIMULATED EMERGENCY TOW ROPE BREAK. AT 280 FT AGL THE INSPECTOR DISENGAGED THE TOW ROPE AND THE APPLICANT IMMEDIATELY EXECUTED A LEFT 180 DEG TURN FOLLOWED BY A RIGHT DESCENDING NOSE DOWN TURN. THIS MANEUVER CAUSED THE GLIDER TO LOSE EXCESSIVE ALTITUDE AND THE PIC WAS FORCED TO LAND IN THE OPEN FIELD. DURING THE LANDING ROLL-OUT THE GLIDER STRUCK A LARGE BOULDER, SHRUB TREE AND A BARBED WIRE FENCE. THE APPLICANT STATED THAT HE DIDN'T THINK THE GLIDER'S ALTITUDE WAS SUFFICIENT TO CLEAR SOME WIRES AT THE END OF THE AIRPORT BOUNDARY BUT LATER CALCULATED THAT THE GLIDE RATIO WOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT TO NEGOTIATE THE AIRPORT. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE WAS UNDER EXTREME SELF-INDUCED PRESSURE DUE TO THE FLIGHT TEST. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1990_LAX90LA282.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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