# Accident 20120529008879A: Schleicher ASW-27, Ionia, MI, May 29, 2012

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 29, 2012, 15:30 local time
- Place: Ionia, MI
- Airport: Ionia County
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.9381° N, 85.0606° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.9381&lon=-85.0606&mi=10
- Aircraft: N127PC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N127PC-2018-01-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Schleicher ASW-27 (registry code 3801501, https://openairdocs.org/model/schleicher-asw-27) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SCHLEICHER ASW-27
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN12LA330](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12LA330) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120529008879A

## Narrative

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

ON MAY 29, 2012 AT 1530 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A SCHLEICHER ASW-27 SAIL PLANE, N127PC, REGISTERED TO AERODONETICE INC AND OPERATED BY A PRIVATE PILOT, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED WOODED TERRAIN FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE MANEUVERING TO LAND ON RUNWAY 27 AT THE IONIA COUNTY AIRPORT, (Y70).  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND GUSTY WINDS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED DURING AN SSA SANCTIONED CONTEST UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN.  THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE LOCAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE IONIA COUNTY AIRPORT AT APPROXIMATELY 1413.ACCORDING TO A CONTEST OFFICIAL, THE PILOT WAS APPROACHING TO LAND AND WAS LOW, BELOW 400 FT AGL, WHEN IT BEGAN A STEEP LEFT TURN, THE LEFT WING DROPPED, THE GLIDER STALLED AND NOSED OVER INTO THE TREES.  THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY SEVERAL OTHER WITNESSES.ALL MAJOR AIRFRAME COMPONENTS WERE LOCATED AND IDENTIFIED.  FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED.  A FLIGHT DATA RECORDER AND TWO GPS TRACKERS WERE RECOVERED AND SENT TO THE NTSB FOR EVALUATION.  WEATHER REPORT FROM Y70 AIRPORT AT 1933 UTC WAS: WIND 290 DEGREES AT 21KNOTS GUST TO 26 KNOTS, VISIBILITY 10 STATUTE MILES, CLEAR AND ALTIMETER 2977.

## 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 CEN12LA330](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12LA330), May 29, 2012: Schleicher ASW-27 (N127PC), Ionia, MI, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain a proper airspeed in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in an inadvertent stall while maneuvering at an altitude that did not provide a margin for recovery.

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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