Grob G103 TWIN ASTIR accident near Groveland, Florida, September 22, 2018
On September 22, 2018 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 1979 Grob G103 TWIN ASTIR (glider), registered N72EJ, suffered minor damage in an accident during landing near Groveland, Florida (Seminole Lake airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to relinquish the flight controls during landing when the flight instructor told him to do so, and the instructor’s subsequent inability to properly control the glider, which led to a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 2018 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Groveland, Florida · Seminole Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grob G103 TWIN ASTIR TWIN ASTIR, built 1979
- Registration
- N72EJ · registry record · serial 3253-T-30
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot were conducting an instructional flight. The flight instructor reported that, during the landing, he told the student, “I have the flight controls”; however, the student did not relinquish them. As a result, the instructor was unable to control the glider, which resulted in a hard landing and the student pilot sustaining serious injuries.
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 control in flight during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Attempted remediation/recovery during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Hard landing during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Attain/maintain not possible
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Communication (personnel) › Following instructions › Student/instructed pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,122 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 400 in the last 90 days; 165 in the last 30 days; 10,993 as pilot in command; 7,545 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 5, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 15 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 0 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,560 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 8, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,345 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: Seminole Flying & Soaring Inc
The flight
- Departed from: 6FL0 Groveland FL
- Destination: 6FL0 Groveland FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from GIF, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 17, 2021. 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, 4 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - Email from Flight Instructor | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Excerpt from Maintenance Records | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.