Burkhart Grob G10Z ASTIR CS accident near Buena Vista, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1983
On March 12, 1983 at about 6:12 pm local time, a Burkhart Grob G10Z ASTIR CS (glider), registered N142SS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Buena Vista, Pennsylvania. It was a personal 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 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
- March 12, 1983 · about 6:12 pm local time
- Place
- Buena Vista, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Burkhart Grob G10Z ASTIR CS G10Z ASTIR
- Registration
- N142SS · registry record · serial 1368
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THINKING THAT HE MIGHT BE LOST IN A WAVE ABOVE THE CLOUDS, THE PLT DESCENDED THROUGH AN OPENING & DECIDED TO MAKE AN OFF-FIELD LANDING. SEVERE WIND GUSTS ALTERED HIS GLIDE PATH & HE HEADED TOWARD AN APPLE ORCHARD. THE LEFT WING CONTACTED A BRANCH ABOUT 10 FT ABOVE THE GROUND & THE GLIDER GROUND LOOPED BREAKING THE TAIL CONE & DAMAGING THE STABILIZER & VERTICAL FIN.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 232 hours in all; 5 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 360 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Unionville PA
- Destination: Altoona PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 25 knots, gusting 40
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°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.