Glasflugel MOSQUITO accident near Pearblossom, California, May 12, 1991
On May 12, 1991 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Glasflugel MOSQUITO (glider), registered N210TD, was destroyed in an accident near Pearblossom, California (Crystal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED TO AVOID STALLING THE AIRCRAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 1991 · about 9:30 pm local time · cases in 1991
- Place
- Pearblossom, California · Crystal · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Glasflugel MOSQUITO · all MOSQUITOs on the register
- Registration
- N210TD · registry record · serial 51
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE GLIDER PILOT WAS RETURNING TO LAND AT HIS DEPARTURE AIRPORT AND WAS OBSERVED ON A LEFT BASE APPROACH ABOUT 100 TO 200 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE GLIDER WAS FLYING SLOWLY AND AS A LEFT TURN WAS INITIATED TO A FINAL APPROACH HEADING, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO SHUDDER AND STALL. THE GLIDER THEN DESCENDED VERTICALLY INTO A PEACH ORCHARD STRIKING TREES AND THE GROUND. THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED AND THE GLIDER DESTROYED.
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: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 106 hours in all; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 373 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 20, 1991; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 992 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N210TD on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Glasflugel MOSQUITO 26 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Glasflugel 191 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,097 in the last ten years
- California 27,897 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX91LA211.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.