Schleicher ASW-20B accident near Cleburne, Texas, August 31, 2008
On August 31, 2008 at about 7:18 pm local time, a Schleicher ASW-20B (glider), registered N30WK, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Cleburne, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Loss of control inflight for undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 2008 · about 7:18 pm local time · cases in 2008
- Place
- Cleburne, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW-20B · all ASW-20Bs on the register
- Registration
- N30WK · no longer on the register · serial 20641
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While performing a landing into an open field, the glider pilot experienced a loss of control and impacted terrain. An examination of the wreckage did not reveal any pre-impact anolmalies. A review of the Cambridge Aero Instrument data recording device displayed that after failing to acquire thermal lift, the pilot manuevered for a left base pattern to a grass field. A low level of diphenhydramine, an over the counter sedating antihistamine often known by the trade name Benadryl, was found in the pilot's blood, well below the concentrations normally associated with impairment.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during approach defining event
- Loss of control in flight during approach
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,279 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 22, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,513 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 30, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 1,157 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Departed from: TA11 Midlothian TX at 6:26 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:25 pm from CPT, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N30WK: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Schleicher ASW-20 101 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schleicher 506 aircraft on the register
- 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/DFW08LA220.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.