Amateur-built BG-12A accident near Marion, Ohio, May 4, 1997
On May 4, 1997 at about 4:40 pm local time, a amateur-built BG-12A (glider), registered N8711R, was destroyed in an accident near Marion, Ohio. It was a ferry 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
Disconnection of the elevator control rod which resulted in the loss of elevator control. A factor was failure to complete the required maintenance inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 1997 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Marion, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BG-12A
- Registration
- N8711R · no longer on the register · serial 12035
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
With the owner at the flight controls, the experimental homebuilt glider was under tow to take it to another airport. Witnesses reported that about 1 minute after departure, the glider entered into a series of divergent pitch oscillations which terminated in a near vertical dive into a field. The tow rope separated during the oscillations. According to an FAA report, '...The rod end of the elevator/aileron control stick was found pulled out of push rod. The meal casing that the rod end fitted into was crushed. The rod end contained 1 fastener (rivet) core with signs of fretting and scoring, with the remaining attaching fastener core missing....' The last annual inspection was performed in August 1995. The glider was operated on an FAA special flight permit, which required either an inspection by an aircraft mechanic or a repair shop before the flight. No record of the inspection was found by the FAA inspectors.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 19,605 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 988 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 24, 1995; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 606 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MNN at 4:39 pm
- Destination: CMH Columbus OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,400 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from MFD, 28 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.