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20190610006501I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Rolladen-Schneider LS-6 · Stanton, MN · June 10, 2019

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 10, 2019 · 13:30 local
Place
Stanton, MN
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Collision
Midair collision
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N91BT
Reported as
Rolladen-Schneider LS-6
Reported engine
Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,170 total600 in this make and model13 in the last 90 days
N91BTRegistered now · Rolladen-Schneider LS-6S/N 6004 · Built 1985Airframe modelRolladen-Schneider LS-6Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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.

The tow aircraft and glider depart ksyn airport on rwy 27 headed straight west with a 20 knot headwind. 3 miles west of the airport the two airplanes made a left 180 degree turn and flew a half mile back towards the airport when the glider released at 2.5 miles from ksyn, 2900FT MSL/1900 AGL. Both aircraft had a tailwind. The glider turned se approximately 145 hdg. The tow plane continued straight east for .5 mile providing lateral separation, he did not descend. Being straight west of the runway 27, the tow plane, turned south east approximately heading 165 and started a gradual descent. The heading was established to intercept a left downwind for rwy 27, and the tow plane began the process of bringing in the line. The two aircraft were now on a converging flight path, the tow plane at 110 mph and the glider with the tailwind approximately 80 mph. The glider saw the tow plane coming at her from the left and it appeared to be at co-altitude. She pulled aft stick and felt an impact, her right wing tip made contact with the leading edge of the tow plane. It was a glancing blow. The tow plane saw a flash of glider at impact, but never saw the glider prior to impact and had no idea what direction the flash came from. The airplanes were at approximately 2500 ft msl/ 1500AGL, 1.5 miles on the 255 radial from the ksyn Stanton airport. Both emergency aircraft return to rwy 27 at ksyn, glider #1, tow plane #2 in sequence. Adsb data from the tow plane was used post interview phase to confirm and help detail the recollection from both pilots.

As the FAA filed it

THE TOW AIRCRAFT AND GLIDER DEPART KSYN AIRPORT ON RWY 27 HEADED STRAIGHT WEST WITH A 20 KNOT HEADWIND. 3 MILES WEST OF THE AIRPORT THE TWO AIRPLANES MADE A LEFT 180 DEGREE TURN AND FLEW A HALF MILE BACK TOWARDS THE AIRPORT WHEN THE GLIDER RELEASED AT 2.5 MILES FROM KSYN, 2900FT MSL/1900 AGL. BOTH AIRCRAFT HAD A TAILWIND. THE GLIDER TURNED SE APPROXIMATELY 145 HDG. THE TOW PLANE CONTINUED STRAIGHT EAST FOR .5 MILE PROVIDING LATERAL SEPARATION, HE DID NOT DESCEND. BEING STRAIGHT WEST OF THE RUNWAY 27, THE TOW PLANE, TURNED SOUTH EAST APPROXIMATELY HEADING 165 AND STARTED A GRADUAL DESCENT. THE HEADING WAS ESTABLISHED TO INTERCEPT A LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 27, AND THE TOW PLANE BEGAN THE PROCESS OF BRINGING IN THE LINE. THE TWO AIRCRAFT WERE NOW ON A CONVERGING FLIGHT PATH, THE TOW PLANE AT 110 MPH AND THE GLIDER WITH THE TAILWIND APPROXIMATELY 80 MPH. THE GLIDER SAW THE TOW PLANE COMING AT HER FROM THE LEFT AND IT APPEARED TO BE AT CO-ALTITUDE. SHE PULLED AFT STICK AND FELT AN IMPACT, HER RIGHT WING TIP MADE CONTACT WITH THE LEADING EDGE OF THE TOW PLANE. IT WAS A GLANCING BLOW. THE TOW PLANE SAW A FLASH OF GLIDER AT IMPACT, BUT NEVER SAW THE GLIDER PRIOR TO IMPACT AND HAD NO IDEA WHAT DIRECTION THE FLASH CAME FROM. THE AIRPLANES WERE AT APPROXIMATELY 2500 FT MSL/ 1500AGL, 1.5 MILES ON THE 255 RADIAL FROM THE KSYN STANTON AIRPORT. BOTH EMERGENCY AIRCRAFT RETURN TO RWY 27 AT KSYN, GLIDER #1, TOW PLANE #2 IN SEQUENCE. ADSB DATA FROM THE TOW PLANE WAS USED POST INTERVIEW PHASE TO CONFIRM AND HELP DETAIL THE RECOLLECTION FROM BOTH PILOTS.