Rolladen-Schneider LS-4A accident near Clifton Forge, Virginia, September 16, 1991
On September 16, 1991 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Rolladen-Schneider LS-4A (glider), registered N7LR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clifton Forge, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S MISJUDGEMENT OF ALTITUDE, DISTANCE AND SPEED WHICH RESULTED IN LANDING OVERSHOOT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 1991 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Clifton Forge, Virginia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Rolladen-Schneider LS-4A · all LS-4As on the register
- Registration
- N7LR · registry record · serial 4087
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO CONTINUE FLIGHT AFTER SHE RAN OUT OF THERMAL LIFT, SO SHE ATTEMPTED TO LAND IN A FIELD. THE PLT REPORTED THAT DURING THE APPROACH TO THE FIELD, SHE TURNED FROM BASE TO FINAL TOO SOON AND CONSEQUENTLY WAS TOO HIGH. THE FIELD WAS OVERSHOT DURING THE LANDING AND THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE. THE PLT REPORTED THAT DURING THE APPROACH TO THE FIELD SHE TURNED FROM BASE TO FINAL TOO SOON AND CONSEQUENTLY WAS TOO HIGH.
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: 261 hours in all; 163 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 398 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 11, 1991; 16 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: New Castle VA at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N7LR 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.