Schleicher KA6-CR accident near Forrest City, Arkansas, August 3, 1996
On August 3, 1996 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Schleicher KA6-CR (glider), registered N445M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Forrest City, Arkansas. 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 failure to abort the takeoff. Factors were the dust restricting his visibility and the uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1996 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Forrest City, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher KA6-CR · all KA6-CRs on the register
- Registration
- N445M · no longer on the register · serial 6506
- 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, the glider lost lift while on a local glider flight and he elected to execute an off-airport landing on a dirt road approximately 4 miles from the airport. The tow plane landed on the road to retrieve the glider. The pilot stated that during the takeoff roll from the crowned and uneven dirt road, a heavy dust cloud was created by the tow plane, and he was unable to maintain directional control. The glider impacted a steel foot bridge crossing an irrigation ditch.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 2,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 415 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 1996; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 640 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FCY Forrest City AR at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from MEM, 30 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.