Burkhart Grob G103 accident near Benton, Tennessee, June 8, 1986
On June 8, 1986 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Burkhart Grob G103 (glider), registered N2135R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Benton, Tennessee (Chilhowee Glider Port airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 1986 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Benton, Tennessee · Chilhowee Glider Port · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Burkhart Grob G103 · all G103s on the register
- Registration
- N2135R · registry record · serial 3601
- 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 LANDED SHORT OF THE RWY. THE PLT HAD OBSERVED ANOTHER ACFT ON THE RWY APCH END AND EXTENDED HIS BASE LEG. DURING THE TURN TO FINAL, HE DEPLOYED THE SPOILERS. HE REPORTED THAT THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A HIGH SINK RATE AFTER THE TURN, AND THAT HE SUBSEQUENTLY RETRACTED THE SPOILERS. THE ACFT DESCENDED BELOW THE TREES AND A TURN WAS MADE TO AVOID THEM. ANOTHER HIGH SINK RATE WAS EXPERIENCED AND THE ACFT STRUCK A TELEPHONE WIRE, THEN LANDED TAIL FIRST IN A GRASSY AREA NEAR THE RWY END. THE PLT STATED THAT THERE WERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,149 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 1,971 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 500 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 7, 1985; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,435 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 92A Benton TN at 8:18 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 2,600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N2135R the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.