Burkhart Grob G102 III B accident near California City, California, September 5, 1986
On September 5, 1986 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Burkhart Grob G102 III B (glider), registered N630BG, was destroyed in an accident near California City, California (California City Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1986 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- California City, California · California City Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Burkhart Grob G102 III B
- Registration
- N630BG · registry record · serial 563008
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED HE WAS TOWED TO AN ALT OF APRX 2,000 FT AGL. AFTER RELEASE THE CANOPY CAME OPEN AND THE PLT RETURNED TO THE ARPT. ON FINAL APCH HE NOTICED THE AIRSPEED INDICATOR WAS INDICATING 'LOW FORTIES'. THE PLT STATED THE NEXT THING HE REMEMBERED WAS 'LOOKING FORWARD AND SEEING THE GROUND, WITH SLIGHT ROTATION. SPIN!' THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A 45 DEG NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. A PLT WHO WITNESSED THE ACCIDENT INDICATED HE FIRST OBSERVED THE GLIDER ON FINAL APCH. HE STATED, 'IT LOOKED LEVEL AND NORMAL, THEN THE NOSE CAME DOWN IN A STEEP ATTITUDE (NOT UN-COMMON) THE NOSE CAME UP,' AT ABOUT 50 FT AGL AND THEN THE NOSE WENT LEFT.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 768 hours in all; 15 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 193 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 3, 1986; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown UNK (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L71 California City CA at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 6,035 ft by 55 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.