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WPR24LA273

2024-07-25 · Fields, Oregon, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N1599

Make / Model
GLASFLUGEL STANDARD LIBELLE
Year of manufacture
1968 · 56 years old at event
Engine
NONE NONE
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19690210
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A0EF31

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The glider’s encounter with a gusting wind and downdraft conditions, which resulted in exceedance of the glider’s critical angle of attack, an aerodynamic stall, and a hard landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the glider reported that desert storm fronts had been moving in and out of the area during her flight. When the wind increased, and the glider was unable to maintain or regain altitude due to an absence of thermal activity the pilot elected to land off airport between two approaching storms. The pilot lowered the nose to maintain airspeed; however, during the landing flare, the glider encountered a gusting wind and a downdraft, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall about 3-4 ft above the ground. The glider then landed hard, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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.

  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on equipment
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Downdraft-Effect on operation
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Attain/maintain not possible

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2024_WPR24LA273.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers