Glasflugel H301 accident near Hutchinson, Kansas, August 8, 2004
On August 8, 2004 at about 8:46 pm local time, a Glasflugel H301 (glider), registered N25KD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hutchinson, Kansas. 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 improper decision to change the landing area at a low altitude and the inadequate flare that resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 2004 · about 8:46 pm local time
- Place
- Hutchinson, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Glasflugel H301 · all H301s on the register
- Registration
- N25KD · no longer on the register · serial 59
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider sustained substantial damage when it landed hard during an off airport landing to a field. The pilot reported that he had been towed to 2,000 feet above ground level (agl). He was trying to find lift but he reported that the lift was "choppy and broken, difficult to center and work." His altitude was 1,500 feet agl when he was four miles northwest of the field. He attempted to fly back to the airport but he encountered turbulence and loss of lift. He decided to land in a field when his altitude was 800 feet agl. He lowered the landing gear and put in full flaps and set up for landing in a green field. When he recognized the field was a crop he turned toward a dirt field, but he encountered "heavy sink and turbulence." He reported that he leveled the wings prior to landing but landed hard. The glider skidded to a stop after traveling about 75-100 feet.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,154 hours in all; 15 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 820 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SN76 Hutchinson KS at 8:01 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 12 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from HUT
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.
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.