Aviation Crash Map

1200 G103 N381SL

14 October 2005 · Benton, Tennessee, United States · Serious injuries

Summary

On 14 October 2005 at about 20:40 local time, a 1200 G103 registered N381SL, operated by Max Robert Gieseke, was involved in an accident near Benton, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously 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 20:40
Classification
Accident
Location
Benton, Tennessee, United States
Coordinates
36.2736, -84.5589
Aircraft
1200 G103
Registration
N381SL
Category
Glider
Operator
Max Robert Gieseke
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
ATL06CA006

People

1 person was seriously injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 1 0 0

Probable cause

The pilot's misjudgment of distance and failure to maintain a visual look out during a forced landing resulting in an in flight collision with a guy wire and the ground.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was flying about 1200 feet above the ground when the glider lost thermal lift. He made a 270-degree turn towards an open area for an emergency landing. As the glider approached the emergency landing area, it was too high for a landing and was losing airspeed. The pilot then turn towards another field and said that he misjudged the distance to that landing area. As the pilot continued to maneuver for an emergency landing, the right wing tip collided with a guy wire on a power pole. The pilot did not report any mechanical problems with the glider.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

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All 170,864 records in United States