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Old August 11th 17, 10:57 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Bruce Hoult
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Default Judge Awards $11.9 Million in Suit Against Civil Air Patrol

On Friday, August 11, 2017 at 10:54:37 PM UTC+3, WB wrote:
On Friday, August 11, 2017 at 11:41:29 AM UTC-5, Bruce Hoult wrote:
On Friday, August 11, 2017 at 6:07:42 PM UTC+3, Duster wrote:
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's overreaction to a perceived conflict with a tow plane and glider on an intersecting runway, which resulted in a loss of control during an attempted aborted landing. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the glider tow operator to follow and the airport operator to ensure compliance with published airport rules and regulations for glider tow operations.

https://www.ntsb.gov/about/employmen...FA128 &akey=1


Interesting reading.

They were landing on one of the *long* legs, and (had they not been coming in too "hot") should have been able to complete the landing and stop in less than half the distance to the intersection.

The flaps were found still in +30, when the POH says to use 0 for a go around.

Bad of the CAP guys to not know and follow the local rules, of course, but it sounds as if the guys in the Baron would have crashed if a dog had wandered onto the runway.


This was just a horrible situation all the way around and definitely a case of an over-reaction to what should have been a minor distraction. However, having landed gear up because of a "minor" distraction, I very much understand how a minor distraction can become an accident.

The guys in the Baron were actually doing practice instrument approaches with touch-and-go's rather than full stop landings and knew that CAP was doing cadet glider training on the crossing runway. Most traffic at Lagrange uses the "main" runways 13-31 even if crosswind. However, occasionally some traffic will use 03-21 if favored by wind. Transient traffic, taildraggers, even some biz jet drivers would often use 03-21. Gliders were forbidden by the airport admin from using 13-31 so, of course always operated on 03-21..

The "spotter" rule at Lagrange was written by former airport authority members who were hostile to glider operations. The rule was specifically written to make glider operations more difficult. The rule applied only to gliders and did not apply to the other traffic using the crossing runway. This "local rule" mandating a "spotter" for gliders had been ruled unenforceable (in writing) by the local FSDO. FAR's state that airport rules cannot mandate extra aircrew (or something to that effect).

Nobody comes out ahead in cases like this except for lawyers and failed lawyers (otherwise known as judges).


If I was going to fly a glider from that airport, on 03, I think I'd start the roll from just past the intersection! The remaining 900 meters is way more than enough.