Berkshire CONCEPT 70 accident near Fairfield, Pennsylvania, July 28, 1983
On July 28, 1983 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Berkshire CONCEPT 70 (glider), registered N6BM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairfield, Pennsylvania (Mid Atlantic airport). 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
- July 28, 1983 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fairfield, Pennsylvania · Mid Atlantic · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Berkshire CONCEPT 70
- Registration
- N6BM · no longer on the register · serial 6
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE APCH, THE PLT ENCOUNTERED UNFAVORABLE WIND CONDITIONS & THE GLIDER TOUCHED DOWN LONG. IN ORDER TO AVOID AN EMBANKMENT BEYOND THE END OF THE STRIP, THE PLT TURNED TOWARD A PARALLEL RWY OVERRUN AREA. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE LEFT WING HIT TWO 55 GAL DRUMS IN A DITCH BORDERING THE OVERRUN.
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: 11,562 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 11,207 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 918 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 400 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 2,684 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.