20030405014672I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Glaser DG300 · Haines City, FL · April 5, 2003

Date
April 5, 2003 · 13:30 local
Place
Haines City, FL
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Collision
Midair collision, second aircraft
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N303KK
Reported as
Glaser DG300
Pilot’s flight hours
6,000 total60 in this make and model250 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) This glider was in a descent in a straight and level attitude searching for the next thermal. Below him was an ultralight in a left climbing turn. The glider pilot's visibility downward was obstructed by the fuselage of the glider; the ultralight pilot's visibility upward was obstructed by the wing of the ultralight. The glider and the ultralight got within 20 feet of each other when the glider pilot saw the ultralight, but there was not enough time to react. A second later the two aircraft collided. The glider's fuselage and cockpit glass made contact with the right wing of the glider causing the wing to deform. The glider had minor damage and no injuries to the pilot; the ultralight fell to the ground causing it to be destroyed, but the pilot survived with minor abrasions and scratches.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THIS GLIDER WAS IN A DESCENT IN A STRAIGHT AND LEVEL ATTITUDE SEARCHING FOR THE NEXT THERMAL. BELOW HIM WAS AN ULTRALIGHT IN A LEFT CLIMBING TURN. THE GLIDER PILOT'S VISIBILITY DOWNWARD WAS OBSTRUCTED BY THE FUSELAGE OF THE GLIDER; THE ULTRALIGHT PILOT'S VISIBILITY UPWARD WAS OBSTRUCTED BY THE WING OF THE ULTRALIGHT. THE GLIDER AND THE ULTRALIGHT GOT WITHIN 20 FEET OF EACH OTHER WHEN THE GLIDER PILOT SAW THE ULTRALIGHT, BUT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO REACT. A SECOND LATER THE TWO AIRCRAFT COLLIDED. THE GLIDER'S FUSELAGE AND COCKPIT GLASS MADE CONTACT WITH THE RIGHT WING OF THE GLIDER CAUSING THE WING TO DEFORM. THE GLIDER HAD MINOR DAMAGE AND NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT; THE ULTRALIGHT FELL TO THE GROUND CAUSING IT TO BE DESTROYED, BUT THE PILOT SURVIVED WITH MINOR ABRASIONS AND SCRATCHES.

Other aircraft in the event · 1

Each aircraft in a collision has its own report.