Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / WPR14CA321

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR14CA321

2014-07-04 Nephi, Utah, United States Airport · U14 Minor 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N643CA

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CENTRAIR 101A

Seats / Engines

1 seats · 1 engine

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A87093

Registrant of record

FADDEN MICHAEL D

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to identify the proper landing surface which resulted in an off airstrip landing and collision with rough terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that while on downwind he elected to land on the grass runway parallel to the asphalt runway. As he crossed the threshold for the landing area, he realized he was landing onto a grass field next to the grass runway. With the glider too low to transition to the grass runway, the pilot continued to land onto the field. During the landing sequence, the glider impacted two culverts and sustained substantial damage to the fiberglass fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would preclude normal operation of the glider. The pilot reported that while on downwind he elected to land on the grass runway parallel to the asphalt runway. As he crossed the threshold for the landing area, he realized he was landing onto a grass field next to the grass runway. With the glider too low to transition to the grass runway, the pilot continued to land onto the field. During the landing sequence, the glider impacted two culverts and sustained substantial damage to the fiberglass fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would preclude normal operation of 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).

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot - C
  • Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Rough terrain-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_WPR14CA321.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.