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WPR20CA151

2020-05-11 · Arlington, Washington, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport AWO

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

FAA avdata. C = Cause, 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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