Rolladen-Schneider LS-6 accident near Llano, California, July 5, 1998
On July 5, 1998 at about 8:35 pm local time, a Rolladen-Schneider LS-6 (glider), registered N6686, was destroyed in an accident near Llano, California (Crystal Gliderport 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 failure of the pilot to attach the aileron quick disconnect fitting during assembly of the glider and his inadequate preflight inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 1998 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Llano, California · Crystal Gliderport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rolladen-Schneider LS-6 · all LS-6s on the register
- Registration
- N6686 · no longer on the register · serial 6002
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider was towed aloft and witnesses observed the right wing oscillating. After release about 400 to 500 feet agl, the glider went into a right spiral and impacted the ground. The airport owner examined the glider after the accident and reported that the quick disconnect fitting for the right aileron was found disconnected. The pilot had reassembled the glider on the morning of the accident and did not perform a control continuity check prior to takeoff.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,186 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 904 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 19, 1998; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,157 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LO1
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,500 ft by 400 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 am from PMD, 12 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.