Burkhart Grob G 103 TWIN II accident near Llano, California, August 23, 1999
On August 23, 1999 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Burkhart Grob G 103 TWIN II (glider), registered N8013K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Llano, California (Crystal Gliderport airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's encounter with a sudden and violent dust devil, which caused the student pilot to lose control of the aircraft during the landing flare/touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 1999 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Llano, California · Crystal Gliderport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Burkhart Grob G 103 TWIN II G 103 TWIN · all G 103 TWIN IIs on the register
- Registration
- N8013K · registry record · serial 3702
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the student pilot began his landing flare approximately 10 feet above the runway surface, he observed a dust devil move onto the runway directly in front of him. He applied down elevator control but the glider ascended about 50 feet above the ground into the dust devil. The glider stalled and landed hard on the runway, then ground looped. Ground witnesses observed a 'large and violent dust devil' touching down on the runway in the path of the landing glider just as it was in the landing flare.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 136 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 28 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 884 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 5, 1999; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,279 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L01 at 8:49 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,500 ft by 250 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 21 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from PMD, 16 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.
Other NTSB records under N8013K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.