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LAX92LA343

1992-08-09 · TRUCKEE, California, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N103FB

Make / Model
BURKHART GROB G 103 TWIN II
Year of manufacture
1984 · 8 years old at event
Engine
NONE NONE
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19850131
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A01058

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE INADEQUATE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE AND FLIGHT MANUALS AND UNAVAILABLE INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE INSPECTION OF THE SPOILER SYSTEM. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE WORN AND JAMMED SPOILER ATTACHMENT LIMITING BLOCK.

Factual narrative

THE FLT WAS RTRNG FM A VFR GLIDER SENIC FLT. THE PLT EXTDD THE SPOILERS TO LOSE ALT WHILE ON BASE LEG FOR RNY 19. WHEN THE GLIDER REACHED THE DESIRED ALT, THE PLT ATMTD TO RETRACT THE SPOILER CTL HANDLE, BUT IT WAS JAMMED IN THE EXTDD PSN. THE PLT & PSGR MADE SVRL ATMTS TO RETRACT THE SPOILER CTL HANDLE, BUT WITHOUT SUCCESS. DRG THIS TIME, THE PLT FLEW TWD THE APCH END OF THE RWY, BUT WITH THE SPOILERS EXTDD, HE WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE RWY. THE GLIDER COLLIDED WITH A DIRT EMBANKMENT SHORT OF RWY 19. A WRECKAGE EXAM DISCLOSED THAT THE FIBERGLASS SPOILER EXTENSION BLOCK WAS EXCESSIVELY WORN & ALLOWED THE SPOILER TO EXTD BYD ITS NORMAL VALUE. THIS CONDITION ALLOWED THE SPOILER TO JAM ON THE FENCE CAP RECESS ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE WING. NEITHER THE FLT NOR MAINT MANUAL ADDRESSED INSPN OF THE SPOILER ATTACHMENT OR EXTENSION LIMITING BLOCK. THE GLIDER RCVD AN ANNUAL INSPN 4 DAYS BFR THE ACDNT. THE INSPN WAS PERFORMED IAW THE MANUFACTURERS DIRECTIVES. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1992_LAX92LA343.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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