Glasflugel MOSQUITO accident near Alvarado, Texas, June 4, 2020
On June 4, 2020 at about 10:15 pm local time, a 1977 Glasflugel MOSQUITO (glider), registered N24HC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Alvarado, Texas (Luscombe Acres airport). It was a personal flight 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 pilot's decision to divert to the private airport and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control while landing on a turf runway that contained tall grass.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 2020 · about 10:15 pm local time · cases in 2020
- Place
- Alvarado, Texas · Luscombe Acres · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Glasflugel MOSQUITO Undesignat, built 1977 · all MOSQUITOs on the register
- Registration
- N24HC · registry record · serial 54
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider pilot reported that due to a weakening of soaring updraft conditions he diverted from his original destination to another airport that he had landed at on previous occasions. While on short final, the pilot noticed the turf runway had not been mowed recently. During the landing rollout, due to long grass blocking his field of view, the pilot was unable to maintain directional control and the glider impacted a fence to the left of the runway, damaging the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. The diversion airport was a private airport that required prior approval for landing.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of lift during enroute
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › (general) › (general) › Effect on equipment
- cause Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › Runway/landing area condition › Contributed to outcome
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 457 hours in all; 211 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 425 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 27, 2019
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,390 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 9, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 992 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Departed from: TA11 Midlothian TX at 6:40 pm
- Destination: TA11 Midlothian TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 1,650 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 pm from KCPT, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 24, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Airport Information - Airnav | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N24HC on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Glasflugel MOSQUITO 26 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Glasflugel 191 aircraft on the register
- Luscombe Acres Airport · nearest airport
- Tsa · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,064 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,966 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN20CA218.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.