Glaser-Dirks DG-400 N400FJ
1 May 1999 · New Milford, Connecticut, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 1 May 1999 at about 19:03 local time, a Glaser-Dirks DG-400 registered N400FJ was involved in an accident near New Milford, Connecticut, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:03
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- New Milford, Connecticut, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Glaser-Dirks DG-400
- Registration
- N400FJ
- Category
- Glider
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Burlington → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC99LA102
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The manufacturer's use of inadequate adhesive material which resulted in the de-bonding and subsequent failure of the wing spar pin-lock assembly.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
While in flight, at an indicated airspeed of 60 knots, a 'loud bang' was heard and the gear warning alarm began to sound. The pilot looked to the left and observed the left wing displaced 20 degrees up from its normal position. The glider began to descend and control inputs by the pilot were unresponsive. In the decent, as the glider's speed began to increase, the pilot elected to egress from the glider. The glider broke apart in flight and descended to the ground. A piece of the glider's fiberglass skin that contained a residue of an adhesive on the inside surface was removed and examined. The adhesive area would have attached spar pin-lock assembly, which secured the wing spar pins. The surface of this epoxy layer contained impression marks similar to a cross-weave pattern found on the surface of fiberglass. The cross-weave pattern on the surface of the epoxy was consistent with a fracture that traveled between the UD-glass fabric tape and the epoxy layer. This separation was characterized as an adhesive separation. The surface of the epoxy layer also contained exposed voids. No bonding between the epoxy and UD-glass fabric tape was observed in the void areas.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Glaser-Dirks DG-400 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jun 1997 | Glaser-Dirks DG-400 | Weston, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1990 | Glaser-Dirks DG 400/17 | Truckee, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Jan 2009 | Glaser-Dirks DG-400 | Volcano, Hawaii, United States | Bigelow David L | Fatal | 1 |
| 2 Feb 1987 | Glaser-Dirks DG-400 | Dillingham, Hawaii, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 4 May 1986 | Glaser-Dirks DG-400 | Longmont, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1999 | Cessna 152 | N. Stonington, Connecticut, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Dec 1999 | Mooney 20J | New Milford, Connecticut, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Sep 1999 | Cessna 305A | Warehouse Point, Connecticut, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 1999 | Aero Commander 500S | Windsor Locks, Connecticut, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 May 1999 | Abrams TITAN TORNADO | Monroe, Connecticut, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 1999 | Cessna 185E | East Haddam, Connecticut, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |