Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Seattle, Washington
Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
https://registry.faa.gov/N300GG
Location: Wilkeson, WA
Accident Number: WPR19FA241
Date & Time: 08/25/2019, 1500 PDT
Registration: N300GG
Aircraft: Glaser Dirks DG 300 ELAN
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On August 25, 2019, about 1500 Pacific daylight time, an experimental, amateur built Glaser Dirks DG 300 glider, N300GG, impacted the grass runway at Burnett Landing Airport (WN15), Wilkeson, Washington. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The glider received substantial damage to the empennage and fuselage. The glider was registered to the pilot who was operating it as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed along the route of flight about the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated at Bergseth Field Airport (WN76) at 1327.
According to multiple witnesses located at WN15, the glider arrived overhead at about 800 to 1,000 ft above ground level (agl), descending and circling left around the southern half of the airport. On the last circle, about 300 ft agl, the landing gear was seen coming down followed very quickly by the glider banking left to about 30-40o. The glider then struck three trees and rotated 270o while now descending in about a 75° nose-low attitude. The glider struck the grass runway nose first, rebounded up and back about 10 ft, then came to rest upright and listing on the left wing.
The accident site was a smooth, level portion of the approach end of runway 34. The glider came to rest oriented on a heading of 161°. All major components of the glider including shattered canopy acrylic, an oxygen bottle, and fiberglass shards were confined in a small debris field of about 30 ft by 30 ft. The empennage and about 23 inches of the tail cone broke away from the aft fuselage. The left wing displayed leading edge damage at about 145 inches inboard from the tip and displayed evidence of tree bark and pine needles embedded into the fiberglass.
The glider was relocated to a secure facility for further examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Glaser Dirks
Registration: N300GG
Model/Series: DG 300 ELAN No Series
Aircraft Category: Glider
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site:
Condition of Light:
Observation Facility, Elevation:
Observation Time:
Distance from Accident Site:
Temperature/Dew Point:
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction:
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility:
Altimeter Setting:
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: Enumclaw, WA (WN76)
Destination: Enumclaw, WA (WN76)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 47.129167, -122.055833
Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov.
A 71-year-old Yelm man has been identified as the pilot of a glider who was killed in a crash near Buckley on August 25th.
John Michael Cook’s glider crashed at about 3 p.m. that day near the 28000 block of 147nd Street East, according to a social media post by East Pierce Fire and Rescue.
Cook was transported to Tacoma General Hospital where he later died.
Bad news. Looking at the pix reminds my why I don't like glass. Efficient? Yes. Crash worthy? Not so much.
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