The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB ATL82DA283 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Glasflugel MOSQUITO accident near Tazewell, Virginia, September 23, 1982

On September 23, 1982 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Glasflugel MOSQUITO (glider), registered N12JR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tazewell, Virginia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
September 23, 1982 · about 7:15 pm local time · cases in 1982
Place
Tazewell, Virginia · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Glasflugel MOSQUITO · all MOSQUITOs on the register
Registration
N12JR · registry record · serial 55
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE GLIDER PILOT WAS PARTICIPATING IN A CROSS-COUNTRY CONTEST. AS HE WAS PASSING ONE OF THE TURN POINTS, HE MANEUVERED TO PHOTOGRAPH THE POSITION. DURING THIS TIME, HE WENT TOO LOW AND WAS FORCED INTO MAKING AN EMERGENCY LANDING. WHILE MANEUVERING TO LAND, HE ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT. THE GLIDER WAS DAMAGED DURING A LANDING SHORT OF THE INTENDED TOUCHDOWN AREA.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

Pilot

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
  • Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 380 in this make and model
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: unk

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 400 hours
  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 992 lb
  • Seats: 1
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: Newcastle VA at 12:00 pm
  • Destination: Newcastle VA
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 5 statute miles
  • Sky: not recorded; clear
  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL82DA283.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.