Burkhart Grob G-103 accident near Cordele, Georgia, May 24, 1998
On May 24, 1998 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Burkhart Grob G-103 (glider), registered N5448G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cordele, Georgia (Crisp County - Cordele airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper descent rate that led to a hard landing and porpoise, and his improper recovery from the ensuing bounced landing, resulting in the eventual separation of the empennage. A factor was the updraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1998 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cordele, Georgia · Crisp County - Cordele · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Burkhart Grob G-103 · all G-103s on the register
- Registration
- N5448G · no longer on the register · serial 3868-K-109
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he was flaring above the runway when the glider experienced an updraft and began a slight climb. In order to counteract the slight climb, the pilot added additional spoiler. The glider then came down hard on the runway and bounced back into the air. The glider continued to oscillate in this manner for three oscillations until the empennage separated from the fuselage. The glider then rolled off the runway and came to a stop.
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: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 78 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 72 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,012 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 23, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 1,279 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CKF at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 5,007 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 28 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MCN, 50 miles away
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 N5448G 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.