20120817025411A

Accident · Minor damage

FAA accident report · Schleicher AGS-29 · Uvalde, TX · August 17, 2012

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Date: August 17, 2012 · 15:30 local
Place: Uvalde, TX
Phase of flight: Climb
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Collision: Midair collision
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: NONE
Reported as: Schleicher AGS-29
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Unknown or foreign certificate
Pilot’s flight hours: 6,000 total1,500 in this make and model70 in the last 90 days

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.

French certificate holder while climbing in a strong thermal 18 miles southwest of the Uvalde, Texas with at least 6 other gliders collided with german registered D-6080. The pilot reports he was in a left hand turn and observed the other glider who had been 30 meters below him moments earlier climbing to within 20 meters. He increased his left bank to take advantage of the better lift in the center of the thermal when the lower glider's right horizontal stabilizer impacted his left wing. The other gliders tail was separated from the craft and it pitched over and disappeared from view. Pilot reports that he was able to return to the Uvalde airport for a normal landing.

As the FAA filed it

FRENCH CERTIFICATE HOLDER WHILE CLIMBING IN A STRONG THERMAL 18 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE UVALDE, TEXAS WITH AT LEAST 6 OTHER GLIDERS COLLIDED WITH GERMAN REGISTERED D-6080. THE PILOT REPORTS HE WAS IN A LEFT HAND TURN AND OBSERVED THE OTHER GLIDER WHO HAD BEEN 30 METERS BELOW HIM MOMENTS EARLIER CLIMBING TO WITHIN 20 METERS. HE INCREASED HIS LEFT BANK TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BETTER LIFT IN THE CENTER OF THE THERMAL WHEN THE LOWER GLIDER'S RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER IMPACTED HIS LEFT WING. THE OTHER GLIDERS TAIL WAS SEPARATED FROM THE CRAFT AND IT PITCHED OVER AND DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW. PILOT REPORTS THAT HE WAS ABLE TO RETURN TO THE UVALDE AIRPORT FOR A NORMAL LANDING.