Burkhart Grob G 103 Twin II accident near Minden, Nevada, July 16, 2001
On July 16, 2001 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Burkhart Grob G 103 Twin II (glider), registered N4805R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Minden, Nevada (Minden Tahoe Airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's early deployment of full spoilers, resulting in an excessive sink rate and subsequent hard landing. A factor was the instructor's lack of time to take remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2001 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Minden, Nevada · Minden Tahoe Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Burkhart Grob G 103 Twin II · all G 103 Twin IIs on the register
- Registration
- N4805R · registry record · serial 3854-K-100
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor said that on their second circuit in the landing pattern, the student was flying the glider within acceptable limits. He was controlling his airspeed and sink rate properly on long final. The glider was approaching runway 30 when they noticed another glider that was much lower and needed priority for the runway. The instructor directed the student to do a sidestep maneuver and land on runway 30 left, a parallel dirt runway. The student began a left sideslip to line up on the parallel runway. The instructor stated that he was controlling the slip properly, and was controlling his sink rate with small applications of the spoilers. During the landing flare, the student applied full spoiler while still 1 to 1 1/2 feet in the air, at approximately 60 knots. The instructor was unable to overcome the rapid nose down pitching moment and the subsequent increase in sink rate. The left wing was slightly lower than the right due to the previous slip maneuver. When the glider landed hard, the left wing made contact with the ground, resulting in a ground loop to the left. The instructor believed that no damage had been done to the glider, but upon exiting the cockpit, he noticed that the tail boom had cracked just ahead of the empennage structure. The instructor stated that in the future, he will place his hand just behind the spoiler control lever and restrict the aft movement to an acceptable position for the flight conditions.
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
- Ratings: instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,040 hours in all; 607 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 735 as pilot in command; 264 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 11, 1999
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,246.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 18, 2001; 69.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,279 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEV Minden NV at 11:16 pm
- Destination: MEV Minden NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,260 ft by 20 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 16 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 22,000 ft; a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 am from KRNO, 60 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.