Glasflugel Standard Libelle
Front Royal, VA — June 29, 2008
Event Information
| Date | June 29, 2008 |
| Event Type | ACC |
| NTSB Number | NYC08CA236 |
| Event ID | 20080904X01378 |
| Location | Front Royal, VA |
| Country | USA |
| Coordinates | 38.89583, -78.89584 |
| Airport | Front Royal Airport |
| Highest Injury | MINR |
Aircraft
| Make | Glasflugel |
| Model | Standard Libelle |
| Category | GLI |
| FAR Part | 091 |
| Aircraft Damage | SUBS |
Conditions
| Light Condition | DAYL |
| Weather | VMC |
Injuries
| Fatal | 0 |
| Serious | 0 |
| Minor | 1 |
| None | 0 |
| Total Injured | 1 |
Event Location
Probable Cause
Aircraft control was not maintained during cruise flight. Contributing to the accident was turbulence and inadvertent flight into adverse weather.
Full Narrative
According to the pilot, the glider was towed to an altitude of 4,700 feet above mean sea level and released. Shortly after release, the pilot encountered severe turbulence that caused the glider to become inverted. During the turbulence encounter, the pilot's head impacted the canopy several times, and shattered the canopy. While the glider was inverted the pilot heard "cracking in the wings." After recovering from the turbulence upset, the pilot attempted to land in a field. While on the final leg of the approach, the glider impacted some trees, and a hard landing resulted. The tree strikes and hard landing caused substantial damage to the wing and fuselage.
About This NTSB Record
This aviation event was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). NTSB investigates all U.S. civil aviation accidents to determine probable cause and issue safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.