# Accident 20040508009719A: Schler ASW20, Sparks, NV, May 8, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 8, 2004, 16:00 local time
- Place: Sparks, NV
- Airport: Air Sailing Gliderport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.9333° N, 119.6833° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.9333&lon=-119.6833&mi=10
- Aircraft: N126PS, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N126PS-2004-08-23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Schleicher ASW-20 (registry code 3801506, https://openairdocs.org/model/schleicher-asw-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SCHLER ASW20
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 1,042 total, 101 in this make and model, 11 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX04LA203](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04LA203) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040508009719A

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE TOW LINE THAT ATTACHED TO GLIDER TO THE TOW PLANE FAILED SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, ABOUT 300 TO 400 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. IT APPEARED THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO RETURN FOR LANDING WITH A LEFT TURN WHEN THE RIGHT WING DROPPED DOWNWARD AND THE GLIDER ENTERED A SPIN TO THE RIGHT. AS THE GLIDER BEGAN TO SPIN, THE NOSE PITCHED DOWN SHARPLY. THE GLIDER MADE APPROXIMATELY 1/2 ROTATION BEFORE IMPACTING THE GROUND.

## 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 LAX04LA203](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04LA203), May 8, 2004: Schleicher ASW-20 (N126PS), Reno, NV, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed margin while performing a return to runway maneuver, which led to a stall and spin. Factors in the accident were: 1) the deteriorated condition of…

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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