NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR20CA151
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The loss of lift while on final approach which resulted in a hard off-airport landing.
Factual narrative
The glider pilot reported that while on final approach to land, the ground speed decreased and the glider descended faster than expected. Unable to reach the runway, he diverted to a gravel area to land out. The glider landed hard, and during the landing roll he heard a loud bang that was later identified as a pothole. The glider sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. 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 Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Thermal lifting-Effect on operation - C
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2020_WPR20CA151.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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