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20070305003059I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Scwzer SGS 2-33A · Warner Springs, CA · March 5, 2007

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 5, 2007 · 15:00 local
Place
Warner Springs, CA
Airport
Warner Springs Airport
Phase of flight
Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N7763S
Reported as
Scwzer SGS233A
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
7,000 total5,000 in this make and model60 in the last 90 days
N7763SRegistered now · Schweizer SGS 2-33AS/N 135 · Built 1969Airframe modelSchweizer SGS 2-33AEngine modelNONENone

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) Student had the flight controls and on a crosswind take off, the right wing tip contacted the ground, the flight instructor intervened but directional control was lost and gliders left wing struck a fence post before coming to a stop. Pilot statement: during a currency-training lesson on MARCH5 2007 with a customer (private pilot-glider, privacy data omitted) I failed to make corrective actions quick enough after I aborted the takeoff in a sgs 2-33 glider (N7763S), which resulted in damage to the glider. These are the events as I remember; after a pre-flight briefing and pre-flight, we positioned the glider on a takeoff ramp for runway 26. The tow pilot taxied into position and we completed a pre-takeoff check. We had a crosswind from the south (10-15 knots). The line person attached the rope and then positioned the glider for the crosswind takeoff (upwind wing low). In this case the left wing was held low. I positioned the controls for the student and reiterated the crosswind technique and assured her that I would take over the controls if she had trouble with the takeoff. I transferred the controls to her, and told her to signal the tow pilot when she was ready to start the takeoff. After the signal for "go" the tow pilot powered up rapidly. This caused the nose of the glider to pitch up during the initial part of the takeoff roll. The line person (wing runner) let go of the wing and the student relaxed the controls and failed to hold the crosswind correction at which point the downwind wing (right) came to the ground and the glider started to veer sharply to the right. I took control of the glider; first put in corrections to remedy the situation when I realized I could not gain control of the glider I pulled the release and aborted the takeoff. I continued to try to gain control of the glider as it continued to veer to the right and pulled the brakes before the wingtip struck a parked golf cart. The right wing tip struck the parked golf cart causing the glider to rotate further and the left wing to strike a barrier pole near the parking lot area. No one was injured in this accident. The glider never became airborne and this occurred within the first two hundred feet of the takeoff roll. Student pilot statement: privacy data omitted suggested I write to you in regards to the incident that happened on Monday, March 5, 2007. My name is privacy data omitted and I am the student that was in the 2-33 with her. The winds at the time were out of the south southeast and we were on the takeoff ramp for runway 26. As the towplane started pulling the glider onto the runway, the right wing dropped and the glider started veering to the right. ^priva^ pulled the release of the glider and took control, but it kept moving. She managed to steer the nose of the glider away from the fencepost, but the left wing hit the fencepost as the glider came to a stop. Neither she nor I were hurt, however there is damage to the wings of the 2-33. Everything happened very fast and I am sorry I cannot fill you in with more details. I am sure ^priva^ did the best she could given the short amount of time she had to react.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) STUDENT HAD THE FLIGHT CONTROLS AND ON A CROSSWIND TAKE OFF, THE RIGHT WING TIP CONTACTED THE GROUND, THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR INTERVENED BUT DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS LOST AND GLIDERS LEFT WING STRUCK A FENCE POST BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. PILOT STATEMENT: DURING A CURRENCY-TRAINING LESSON ON MARCH5 2007 WITH A CUSTOMER (PRIVATE PILOT-GLIDER, ^PRIVACY DATA OM^) I FAILED TO MAKE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS QUICK ENOUGH AFTER I ABORTED THE TAKEOFF IN A SGS 2-33 GLIDER (N7763S), WHICH RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO THE GLIDER. THESE ARE THE EVENTS AS I REMEMBER; AFTER A PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING AND PRE-FLIGHT, WE POSITIONED THE GLIDER ON A TAKEOFF RAMP FOR RUNWAY 26. THE TOW PILOT TAXIED INTO POSITION AND WE COMPLETED A PRE-TAKEOFF CHECK. WE HAD A CROSSWIND FROM THE SOUTH (10-15 KNOTS). THE LINE PERSON ATTACHED THE ROPE AND THEN POSITIONED THE GLIDER FOR THE CROSSWIND TAKEOFF (UPWIND WING LOW). IN THIS CASE THE LEFT WING WAS HELD LOW. I POSITIONED THE CONTROLS FOR THE STUDENT AND REITERATED THE CROSSWIND TECHNIQUE AND ASSURED HER THAT I WOULD TAKE OVER THE CONTROLS IF SHE HAD TROUBLE WITH THE TAKEOFF. I TRANSFERRED THE CONTROLS TO HER, AND TOLD HER TO SIGNAL THE TOW PILOT WHEN SHE WAS READY TO START THE TAKEOFF. AFTER THE SIGNAL FOR "GO" THE TOW PILOT POWERED UP RAPIDLY. THIS CAUSED THE NOSE OF THE GLIDER TO PITCH UP DURING THE INITIAL PART OF THE TAKEOFF ROLL. THE LINE PERSON (WING RUNNER) LET GO OF THE WING AND THE STUDENT RELAXED THE CONTROLS AND FAILED TO HOLD THE CROSSWIND CORRECTION AT WHICH POINT THE DOWNWIND WING (RIGHT) CAME TO THE GROUND AND THE GLIDER STARTED TO VEER SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT. I TOOK CONTROL OF THE GLIDER; FIRST PUT IN CORRECTIONS TO REMEDY THE SITUATION WHEN I REALIZED I COULD NOT GAIN CONTROL OF THE GLIDER I PULLED THE RELEASE AND ABORTED THE TAKEOFF. I CONTINUED TO TRY TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE GLIDER AS IT CONTINUED TO VEER TO THE RIGHT AND PULLED THE BRAKES BEFORE THE WINGTIP STRUCK A PARKED GOLF CART. THE RIGHT WING TIP STRUCK THE PARKED GOLF CART CAUSING THE GLIDER TO ROTATE FURTHER AND THE LEFT WING TO STRIKE A BARRIER POLE NEAR THE PARKING LOT AREA. NO ONE WAS INJURED IN THIS ACCIDENT. THE GLIDER NEVER BECAME AIRBORNE AND THIS OCCURRED WITHIN THE FIRST TWO HUNDRED FEET OF THE TAKEOFF ROLL. STUDENT PILOT STATEMENT: ^PRIVACY DATA O^ SUGGESTED I WRITE TO YOU IN REGARDS TO THE INCIDENT THAT HAPPENED ON MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2007. MY NAME IS ^PRIVACY DAT^ AND I AM THE STUDENT THAT WAS IN THE 2-33 WITH HER. THE WINDS AT THE TIME WERE OUT OF THE SOUTH SOUTHEAST AND WE WERE ON THE TAKEOFF RAMP FOR RUNWAY 26. AS THE TOWPLANE STARTED PULLING THE GLIDER ONTO THE RUNWAY, THE RIGHT WING DROPPED AND THE GLIDER STARTED VEERING TO THE RIGHT. ^PRIVA^ PULLED THE RELEASE OF THE GLIDER AND TOOK CONTROL, BUT IT KEPT MOVING. SHE MANAGED TO STEER THE NOSE OF THE GLIDER AWAY FROM THE FENCEPOST, BUT THE LEFT WING HIT THE FENCEPOST AS THE GLIDER CAME TO A STOP. NEITHER SHE NOR I WERE HURT, HOWEVER THERE IS DAMAGE TO THE WINGS OF THE 2-33. EVERYTHING HAPPENED VERY FAST AND I AM SORRY I CANNOT FILL YOU IN WITH MORE DETAILS. I AM SURE ^PRIVA^ DID THE BEST SHE COULD GIVEN THE SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME SHE HAD TO REACT.