Burkhart Grob G-102 ASTIR CS accident near Black Forest, Colorado, July 26, 1986
On July 26, 1986 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Burkhart Grob G-102 ASTIR CS (glider), registered N144SS, was destroyed in an accident near Black Forest, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- July 26, 1986 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Black Forest, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Burkhart Grob G-102 ASTIR CS G-102 ASTI
- Registration
- N144SS · no longer on the register · serial 1367
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE GLIDER PLT, TOOK OFF AT 1155 AND WAS TOWED TO AN ALT OF 10,200 FT MSL AND RELEASED. THE PLT SAID THAT A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORM CUT OFF HIS ROUTE BACK TO THE GLIDER PORT AND HE WAS FORCED TO MAKE AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING AT ABOUT 1300. THE PLT SAID THAT DURING THE TURN TO FINAL APCH, 'A WIND SHIFT PUT ME DOWN.'
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: 289 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 453 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 6, 1986; 1,286 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 990 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CO26 Black Forest CO at 5:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 65 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from COS, 19 miles away
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.