Phoenix Air U15 accident near Foscoe, North Carolina, April 6, 2013
On April 6, 2013 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Phoenix Air U15 (glider), registered N94DK, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Foscoe, North Carolina. 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 motorized glider’s encounter with clear air turbulence, which resulted in substantial damage to the empennage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 2013 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Foscoe, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Phoenix Air U15
- Registration
- N94DK · registry record · serial 14
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot of the motorized glider, he was flying at an altitude of 6,000 feet mean sea level (msl) en route to his home airport when he noted an episode of turbulence on the avionics logs for his flight path. He climbed to an altitude of 6,500 feet msl to avoid the turbulence and continued to his destination; however, the glider subsequently encountered severe turbulence that lasted for a few seconds. The pilot reported that during that time he heard a cracking noise in the rear of the glider, which he attributed to a loose quart of oil in the baggage compartment. He continued the flight and landed at his home airport uneventfully. While he was cleaning the glider after the flight, the pilot noted substantial damage to the empennage, which included a 12-inch crack to the composite structure under the right side of the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation before the turbulence encounter; further, he stated that he noted no controllability problems with the glider after the turbulence encounter.
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
- Turbulence encounter during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Clear air turbulence › Effect on equipment
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › (general) › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 122 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 61 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 12, 2012
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 121 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 5, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Palmetto Phoenix Associates, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: MKJ Ruiral Retreat VA at 6:30 pm
- Destination: CUB Columbia SC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.