Schempp-Hirth KA8B N8747
28 September 2002 · Tullahoma, Tennessee, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 28 September 2002 at about 18:00 local time, a Schempp-Hirth KA8B registered N8747, operated by David A. Ball, was involved in an accident near Tullahoma, 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 18:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Tullahoma, Tennessee, United States
- Nearest airport
- Tullahoma Regional Airport (KTHA)
- Coordinates
- 35.3817, -86.2467
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth KA8B
- Registration
- N8747
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- David A. Ball
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Tullahoma → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL02LA177
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The student pilot misjudged the airspeed and altitude during a visual approach to land that resulted in the in-flight collision with the trees.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the student pilot, he was on his 17th solo flight at the time of the accident. After getting a car-tow, he climbed to 1100 feet, and maneuvered until he had descended to 600 feet. At this altitude, the student pilot elected to return to the airport. He entered the left traffic pattern for runway 06. As he turned onto the base leg of the approach, he realized that he was low and the wind continued to blow the glider away from the runway. The student pilot elected to turn final. Being concerned about the loss of altitude, the pilot decided to raise the nose in an effort to extend the glide. The student pilot said that this maneuver allowed the glider to clear most of the trees on the approach end of the runway, but the right wing collided with the top of a tree. The glider spun around and fell into a small grove of trees short of the runway.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Aug 2002 | Cessna 182R | Lake City, Tennessee, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 28 Jun 2002 | Beechcraft 58 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 2002 | Cessna 152 | Spring City, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 2002 | Beechcraft BE-55 | Jacksboro, Tennessee, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 19 Jun 2002 | Cessna 182Q | Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 May 2002 | Cessna 172 | Livingston, Tennessee, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |