Aviation Crash Map

Flugzeugbau DG-200 N5457T

29 December 2001 · Benton, Tennessee, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 29 December 2001 at about 20:00 local time, a Flugzeugbau DG-200 registered N5457T was involved in an accident near Benton, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 20:00
Classification
Accident
Location
Benton, Tennessee, United States
Coordinates
35.2264, -84.5847
Aircraft
Flugzeugbau DG-200
Registration
N5457T
Category
Glider
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Benton → Unknown
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
ATL02LA027

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 0 1

Probable cause

The pilot's inadvertent encounter with a downdraft while maneuvering in a ridge lift during a turn resulting in an in-flight collision with trees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The glider pilot was flying north in a ridge lift about 400 feet above a plateau area where he had previously found good thermals. He started a turn towards the front of the ridge towards a valley and encountered a severe sink rate. He continued the turn and the sink rate increased between 1,500 to 3,000 feet per minute and the glider collided with trees. The pilot did not experienced a mechanical failure or malfunction of the airframe or flight control system.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

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24 Jul 2001 Mitchell T-10
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All 170,864 records in United States