Summary
On May 20, 1989, a Piper PA-25-235 (N9489P) was involved in an accident near Warrenton, VA. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: THE FAILURE OF THE GLIDER PILOT TO MAINTAIN A PROPER CLIMB RATE DURING TAKEOFF AND THE DELAY IN RELEASING FROM THE TOWPLANE AFTER REALIZING THAT HE WAS CLIMBING WELL ABOVE THE TOWPLANE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE UPDRAFT ENCOUNTERED AFTER TAKEOFF AND THE LACK OF RECENT EXPERIENCE OF THE GLIDER PILOT.
This accident is documented in NTSB report BFO89LA035. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N9489P.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
THE FAILURE OF THE GLIDER PILOT TO MAINTAIN A PROPER CLIMB RATE DURING TAKEOFF AND THE DELAY IN RELEASING FROM THE TOWPLANE AFTER REALIZING THAT HE WAS CLIMBING WELL ABOVE THE TOWPLANE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE UPDRAFT ENCOUNTERED AFTER TAKEOFF AND THE LACK OF RECENT EXPERIENCE OF THE GLIDER PILOT.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# BFO89LA035