Overall Trends
Total, fatal, and serious accidents in the selected range.
Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.
Fast key and full-text search with live filters, watches, and precise metadata.
Use quotes for exact phrase matches (for example "fuel selector valve").
Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.
Major cases, deep-report coverage, and investigation media across decades of NTSB history.
Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.
NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.
The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.
The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.
Williamson, GA
AS THE GLIDER PLT WAS APCHG THE ENTRY POINT FOR LANDING, HE CHECKED THE SPOILERS FOR OPERATION. THE SPOILERS EXTENDED, BUT WOULD NOT RETRACT. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE SINK RATE & THE PLT REALIZED HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO REACH THE ARPT. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE LANDED THE GLIDER (SAILPLANE) APRX 1/4 MI NORTH OF THE ARPT. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ABELLCRANK (PN 103B-4433) IN THE SPOILER CONTROL SYSTEM HAD FAILED AT TWO LOCATIONS ON THE CENTER BEARING HOUSING. A METALLURGICAL EXAM REVEALED THE BELLCRANK HAD FAILED FROM HIGH CYCLE, LOW STRESS FATIGUE. THE FAILURES OCCURRED AT THE EDGE OF FILLET-WELDS IN RELATIVELY SOFT, HEAT AFFECTED ZONES (HAZ). THE BELLCRANK HAD NOT BEEN SUBJECTED TO POST WELD HEAT TREATMENT. TESTS VERIFIED A SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF HARDNESS IN THE HAZ. THE GLIDER HAD A TOTAL FLT TIME OF 318 HRS WHEN THE BELLCRANK FAILED.
AS THE GLIDER PLT WAS APCHG THE ENTRY POINT FOR LANDING, HE CHECKED THE SPOILERS FOR OPERATION. THE SPOILERS EXTENDED, BUT WOULD NOT RETRACT. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE SINK RATE & THE PLT REALIZED HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO REACH THE ARPT. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE LANDED THE GLIDER (SAILPLANE) APRX 1/4 MI NORTH OF THE ARPT. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ABELLCRANK (PN 103B-4433) IN THE SPOILER CONTROL SYSTEM HAD FAILED AT TWO LOCATIONS ON THE CENTER BEARING HOUSING. A METALLURGICAL EXAM REVEALED THE BELLCRANK HAD FAILED FROM HIGH CYCLE, LOW STRESS FATIGUE. THE FAILURES OCCURRED AT THE EDGE OF FILLET-WELDS IN RELATIVELY SOFT, HEAT AFFECTED ZONES (HAZ). THE BELLCRANK HAD NOT BEEN SUBJECTED TO POST WELD HEAT TREATMENT. TESTS VERIFIED A SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF HARDNESS IN THE HAZ. THE GLIDER HAD A TOTAL FLT TIME OF 318 HRS WHEN THE BELLCRANK FAILED.