# Accident 19980713035559A: Schemp DISCUSA, Bridgeport, CA, July 13, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 13, 1998, 16:00 local time
- Place: Bridgeport, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.2708° N, 119.3294° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.2708&lon=-119.3294&mi=10
- Aircraft: N95KM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N95KM-2000-09-01) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Schempp-Hirth DISCUS A (registry code 38019VP, https://openairdocs.org/model/schempp-hirth-discus-a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SCHEMP DISCUSA
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX98LA234](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA234) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980713035559A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.23)EXPERIENCED LOSS OF LIFT DURING A COUNTRY GLIDER FLIGHT. OFF AIRPORT LANDING IN FIELD.  AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.  (.19)ON JULY 13, 1998, AT 1600 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A SCHEMP-HIRTH DISCUS A GLIDER, N95KM, LOST LIFT AND IMPACTED TERRAIN APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF BRIDGEPORT, CALIFORNIA.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED, AND THE PRIVATE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED.  THE PERSONAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT THE MINDEN, NEVADA, AIRPORT AT 1356, AND WAS EN ROUTE TO THE LONE PINE, CALIFORNIA, AIRPORT.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PL AN WAS FILED.  THE PILOT REPORTED THAT SHE WAS FLYING LOW IN A CANYON WITH NO THERMAL ACTIVITY.  SHE ATTEMPTED TO GAIN LIFT BY FLYING CLOSE TO THE RIDGE.  THE GLIDER IMPACTED A TREE AND THE WINGS WERE TORN OFF.  THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE GLIDER THEN SPUN INTO THE CANYON WALL AND IMPACTED THE TERRAIN.  THE ELEVATION AT THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS APPROXIMATELY 7,700 FEET MSL.  THE PILOT REPORTED THAT SHE HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANY MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION WITH THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX98LA234](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA234), Jul 13, 1998: Schempp-Hirth Discus A (N95KM), Bridgeport, CA, destroyed. Probable cause: The failure of the pilot to maintain clearance with the trees while maneuvering to locate a thermal lift.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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