# Accident 19980914024009A: Szd SZD59, Truckee, CA, September 14, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 14, 1998, 14:08 local time
- Place: Truckee, CA
- Airport: Truckee-Tahoe Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.3294° N, 120.2390° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.3294&lon=-120.2390&mi=10
- Aircraft: N59SE, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N59SE-2001-12-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Pdps Pzl-Bielsko SZD-59 (registry code 8821649, https://openairdocs.org/model/pdps-pzl-bielsko-szd-59) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SZD SZD59
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 113 total, 42 in this make and model, 56 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX98LA293](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA293) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980914024009A

## Narrative

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

(-23) AIRCRAFT LOST POWER AFTER TAKEOFF FROM CASHMERE - DRYDEN AIRPORT (S82). PILOT STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO CASHMERE AIRPORT BUT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING DESCENT WHEN THE LEFT WING STRUCK A TREE.  THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND NOSE FIRST AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED.  THE PILOT WAS PULLED FROM THE DAMAGED AIRCRAFT AND RECEIVED SEVERE INJURIES TO HIS LEGS.(.4)ON SEPTEMBER 14, 1998, AT 1408 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A PDPS PZL-BIELSKO SZD-59 GLIDER, N59SE, IMPACTED HILLY TERRAIN 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF THE TRUCKEE-TAHOE AIRPORT, TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND THE PRIVATE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, SUFFERED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT THE TRUCKEE AIRPORT AT 1352, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WITHIN 5 TO 10 MINUTES OF TOW RELEASE, HE WAS APPROXIMATELY 350 FEET OVER THE TREES AND WAS HAVING TROUBLE GAINING LIFT. HE REPORTED THAT HE MADE A 180-DEGREE TURN, SLOWED HIS AIRSPEED TO 46 KNOTS, AND APPLIED "EXCESSIVE RUDDER" IN THE TURN.THE GLIDER ENTERED A SPIN AND SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED A GROVE OF PINE TREES THAT WERE APPROXIMATELY 70 FEET AGL. THE PILOT DID NOT REPORT EXPERIENCING ANY MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES WITH THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT,BUT STATED THAT HE SHOULD HAVE MONITORED HIS AIRSPEED MORE CAREFULLY, AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CAREFUL WITH TURN COORDINATION.

## 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 LAX98LA293](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA293), Sep 14, 1998: PZL-Bielsko SZD-59 (N59SE), Truckee, CA, destroyed. Probable cause: The failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient airspeed which resulted in a inadvertent stall/spin.

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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