Burkhart Grob G-103A TWIN II ACRO N223WP

Summary

On 9 February 2008 at about 17:35 local time, a Burkhart Grob G-103A TWIN II ACRO registered N223WP, operated by Christian Nickel, was involved in an accident near Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States. 2 people were 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.

Date

9 February 2008 at 17:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Alamogordo-White Sands Regiona (ALM)

Coordinates

32.8372, -105.9878

Aircraft

Burkhart Grob G-103A TWIN II ACRO

Registration

N223WP

Category

Glider

Operator

Christian Nickel

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Alamogordo → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN08CA056

Nobody was injured.

The unsuitable terrain for landing. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's encounter with turbulence and the loss of visual contact with the tow plane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The glider encountered turbulence at approximately 200 feet above ground level. The glider gained altitude such that the pilot lost sight of the tow plane. The pilot decided to release the glider and attempt a right turn back to the airport to land. He stated, "the altitude was too low to complete the turn, so I leveled the wings and landed the glider off-field." Upon landing, the left wing contacted the terrain and the glider ground looped, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and horizontal stabilizer.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.