NTSB CAROL · Event
Event NYC88LA159
Registry · N1240S
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
SONEX AIRCRAFT ONEX
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A064F7
Registrant of record
COOK GRANT A
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
ACCIDENT WAS A LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING LANDING WHICH FOLLOWED A HARD LANDING. CONTRIBUTING WAS THE IMPROPER USE OF SPOILER CONTROL BY THE PRIVATE PILOT AND THE FAILURE OF THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR TO ADEQUATELY SUPERVISE THE ACTIONS OF THE PRIVATE PILOT.
Factual narrative
THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (CFI) RPRTD THAT WHEN HE & THE PRIVATE PLT WERE LANDING, FULL SPOILERS WERE USED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE GLIDER SETTLED VERY RAPIDLY, TOUCHED DOWN HARD, BOUNCED, AND THE RIGHT WING DROPPED. THE GLIDER THEN TURNED ABOUT 70 DEG TO THE RIGHT, WENT DOWN AN INCLINE & HIT TREES. THE CFI RPRTD THE WIND WAS FROM 300 DEG AT 18 GUSTING 26 KTS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1988_NYC88LA159.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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