# Accident 20040328015569A: Schler ASW20, Hutchinson, KS, March 28, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 28, 2004, 15:20 local time
- Place: Hutchinson, KS
- Airport: Sunflower Aerodrome Gliderport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.9264° N, 97.9061° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.9264&lon=-97.9061&mi=10
- Aircraft: N232EM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N232EM-2009-05-07) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Schleicher ASW-20 (registry code 3801506, https://openairdocs.org/model/schleicher-asw-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SCHLER ASW20
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 12,500 total, 300 in this make and model, 100 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI04CA090](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI04CA090) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040328015569A

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE PLEASURE FLIGHT OPERATING UNDER PART 91, CFR 14 AND IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS ORIGINATED AT APPROXIMATELY 3:20 PM LOCAL TIME. N232EM, AN ASW-20 GLIDER LOST ALL ELEVATOR CONTROL IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF WHILE BEING TOWED. THE GLIDER BEGAN TO PITCH UP AND THE PILOT RELEASED FROM THE TOW AIRCRAFT AT APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET AGL. THE GLIDER THEN BEGAN TO SLOWLY PITCH OVER TO 30 TO 35 DEGREES NOSE DOWN AND IMPACTED THE GROUND 100 FEET TO THE RIGHT OF THE RUNWAY IN A PLOWED MUDDY FIELD. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED AND THE GLIDER SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR AND THE TOW PLANE LANDED SAFELY.

## 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 CHI04CA090](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI04CA090), Mar 28, 2004: Schleicher ASW-20 (N232EM), Yoder, KS, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to secure the elevator Louis L'Hotellier connector with a safety pin or wire as directed in several airworthiness directives and his inadequate preflight inspection of the…

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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