Grob G103 N901BG
22 August 2019 · San Antonio, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 22 August 2019 at about 20:45 local time, a Grob G103 registered N901BG, operated by San Antonio Soaring Society Inc, was involved in an accident near San Antonio, Texas, 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 20:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Antonio, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Boerne Stage Field (5C1)
- Coordinates
- 29.7233, -98.6944
- Aircraft
- Grob G103
- Registration
- N901BG
- Category
- Glider
- Year built
- 1981
- Operator
- San Antonio Soaring Society Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Glider Tow
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Antonio → San Antonio
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- GAA19CA506
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The failure of the glider tow rope, which lodged in the glider's rudder and resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to properly secure the glider's aft canopy.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The glider pilot reported that, while being towed and approaching 3,000 ft above ground level, the glider's rear canopy opened. The glider pilot informed the tow airplane pilot via radio that the canopy had opened, and the tow airplane pilot informed the glider pilot that he would try to tow the glider closer to the runway. Shortly after, the glider entered an uncontrollable downward spin, and the front canopy shattered. The pilot regained control of the glider, and the rear canopy separated from the glider. The glider pilot made an extended right base and prepared for an off-airport landing. The flight controls were not responding properly, and the glider landed hard on the runway. The pilot reported that, after the accident, he found a section of the tow rope still connected to the glider and lodged in the rudder mechanism. A review of photographs of the airplane revealed that the tow rope exhibited overload signatures. Each airplane still had a portion of the tow rope attached to it after the tow rope failed. The glider sustained substantial damage to the composite fuselage.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Grob G103 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Jul 2019 | Grob G103 | Brandon, Mississippi, United States | Central MS Soaring Society Llc | Fatal | 1 |
| 22 Sep 2018 | Grob G103 TWIN ASTIR | Groveland, Florida, United States | Seminole Flying & Soaring Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Jun 2009 | Grob G103 | Wellington, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jul 2005 | Grob G103 | Moriarty, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 2003 | Grob G103 TWIN ASTIR | Morgan, Utah, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 2019 | Robinson R22 | Danbury, Texas, United States | Standard Aviation Svcs | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2019 | Cessna A185 | Conroe, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 7 Aug 2019 | Jonker Sailplanes JS1C | Cotulla, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Sep 2019 | Van's VANS RV-10 | Lancaster, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 2019 | Textron B-300 | Addison, Texas, United States | S&H Aircraft | Fatal | 10 |
| 16 Nov 2019 | Cessna 152 | Sherman/Dennison, Texas, United States | US Aviation Group Llc | No injuries | - |