# Accident 20100425032989A: Pzl-Swidnik PW-5, Marana, AZ, April 25, 2010

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 25, 2010, 19:00 local time
- Place: Marana, AZ
- Airport: El Tiro Gliderport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.4933° N, 111.4950° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.4933&lon=-111.4950&mi=10
- Aircraft: N500JN, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N500JN) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Pzl-Swidnik PW-5 (registry code 9810150, https://openairdocs.org/model/pzl-swidnik-pw-5) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PZL-SWIDNIK PW-5
- Reported engine: NONE NONE
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 62 total, 1 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR10CA215](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR10CA215) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100425032989A

## Narrative

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

ON 04-24-10, N500JN RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN THE PILOT CONDUCTED AN OFF-SITE LANDING 6.6NM NORTHWEST OF EL TIRO GLIDERPORT, AZ (AZ67).  THE PILOT RECEIVED NO INJURIES.  THE PILOT REPORTED SMELLING FUMES ASSOCIATED WITH ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS THEN A LOSS OF GPS, RADIO, AND VARIOMETER.  PILOT THEN ENCOUNTERED A SINK AND THE RESULTING ALTITUDE LOSS REDUCED THE GLIDE RANGE TO A POINT WHERE COULD NOT MAKE THE GLIDERPORT.  THE PILOT LANDED IN A GROUPING OF TREES THAT LESSENED THE DAMAGE FROM SURROUNDING UNEVEN/ROCKY TERRAIN FEATURES; HOWEVER, A TREE BRANCH CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE WING.  POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION BY GLIDER RECOVERY PERSONNEL FOUND THE MAIN (MASTER) CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED, OPENING THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT TO THE AVIONICS. AN IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE PORTABLE DATA LOGGER PRIOR TO FLIGHT BY THE PILOT APPEARS TO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE.   THE POWER CABLE WAS FOUND TO BE PINCHED BETWEEN THE CANOPY AND THE FUSELAGE, CAUSING A SHORT CIRCUIT AND THE FUMES SMELLED BY THE PILOT.

## 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 WPR10CA215](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR10CA215), Apr 26, 2010: PZL-Swidnik PW-5 (N500JN), Marana, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inability to find thermal lift. Contributing to the accident was the failure of a computer that provided glide information and vertical speed instrumentation as a result of an improperly…

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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