Amateur-built VIRUS SW accident near Clayton, Georgia, July 30, 2018
On July 30, 2018 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 2013 amateur-built VIRUS SW (glider), registered N608US, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Clayton, Georgia (Big Creek Flying Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper descent rate, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing and runway overrun.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2018 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Clayton, Georgia · Big Creek Flying Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VIRUS SW, built 2013
- Registration
- N608US · no longer on the register · serial 517 SWN 100 IS
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The powered-glider pilot reported that, during the approach, about 10 to 20 ft above the ground, the descent rate was higher than normal. He moved his hand from the spoiler to the throttle, but before he could apply power to arrest the descent, the glider landed hard and bounced. The glider then banked left, he added full power, but the left wingtip impacted a hedge, and the glider rotated counterclockwise. Subsequently, the glider impacted the ground and came to rest on a dirt embankment. The powered-glider sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and engine mount. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during approach
- Abnormal runway contact during landing defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 842 hours in all; 95 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 763 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 31, 2017
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 89.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 2, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,322 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912IS SPORT (piston); 90 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TOC Toccoa GA at 4:45 pm
- Destination: GA18 Clayton GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,800 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from KTOC, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on November 5, 2018. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Wreckage Sketch | 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.