20010524010759A

(.19)On may 24, 2001, at 1216 mountain daylight time, a schempp-hirth nimbus-3DM glider, N11ZQ, was destroyed when it impacted terrain while maneuvering near alamogordo, new Mexico. The two private pilots were fatally injured. Saj, LLC, of powell, Wyoming, was operating the glider under title 14 CFR part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local long duration flight that originated at 1155. No flight plan had been filed. According to witnesses, the motor-glider departed with two very experienced foreign national pilots for a long distance flight to Colorado and back. They said that no radio transmissions were ever received from the glider. Search and rescue teams located the glider on may 27, 2001. (-23) aircraft N11ZQ departed alm at approximately 1120 local MDT and approximately 40 minutes later was reported missing. Aircraft was enroute to fort garland, Colorado as part of a soaring club competition. The aircraft wreckage was located on 5/27/2001 at approximately 1630 loca MDT by the civilian air patrol and a ground team arrived at the site at approximately 1930 local MDT. Both occupants had received fatal injuries. The wreckage is co ntained in about a 100 ft radius in a heavily treed area at about 9,000 ft. level in lincoln national park. (.4) history of flight: on may 24, 2001, at 1216 mountain daylight time, a schempp-hirth nimbus-3DM motorglider, N11ZQ, was destroyed when it impacted terrain while maneuvering near alamorgordo, new Mexico. The two private pilots were fatally injured. Saj, LLC, of powell, Wyoming, was operating the motorglider under title 14 CFR part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local long-duration flight that originated at approximately 1155. No flight plan had been filed. The two pilots had arrived from europe 3 days before the accident to take part in a 2 week long world record soaring attempt. They had traveled to albuquerque, new Mexico, on may 22, 2001, to convert their european flight credentials to American private pilot certificates. They flew their first flight together from alamogordo on may 23, 2001. They had flown north to the vicinity of santa fe ski basin, (lake peak), new Mexico, a distance of 660 kilometers (365 nautical miles [NM]), and were airborne for approximately 6 hours. On the morning of the accident, the two pilots had breakfast, and proceeded to the airport to preflight their motorglider. Edy naef was sitting in the back seat ans was the designated pilot-in-command (PIC) for the flight. His english was better and he had flown at alamorgordo the year before. Gilbert gerbaud performed the takeoff on runway 21 (it is normal procedure for the front seat occupant to do the takeoff) and edy naef waved at the people on the ground as they lifted off. A friend of the two pilots and fellow motorglider pilot said that the motor is usually stowed at 1,000 meters, or 3,281 feet above ground level (AGL). He said that the full stowing procedure takes between 2 to 3 minutes. He also said that the aircraft is at its maximum drag scenario during the stopping of the engine, centering the propeller, and stowing the engine. If for any reason the engine were to be extended during flight, it is recommended that the procedure be performed no lower than 1,500 feet AGL. Normally, he said, the engine is used only for self-launching, and after that the aircraft is flown strictly as a glider. Radar data from holloman air force base (white sands missile range; elevation 4,093 feet; 290 degrees and 18 NM from the accident site) indicated the glider headed east-southeast after takeoff. The last radar return was recorded at 1215 (N32 degrees, 51.36; W105 degrees, 49.47'), and the downed glider was located approximately 1 mile east of that location. No altitude data could be obtained from the raw radar data; the glider was not equipped with a mode c transponder. Witnesses said that no radio transmissions were ever received from the glider. Search and rescue teams located the downed aircraft on may 27, 2001.