# Accident 20200209000579A: Cooper James R AC-4C, Front Royal, VA, February 9, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 9, 2020, 13:22 local time
- Place: Front Royal, VA
- Airport: Front Royal-Warren County
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Unknown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.5500° N, 78.1400° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.5500&lon=-78.1400&mi=10
- Aircraft: N912ES, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N912ES-2022-07-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cooper James R AC-4C (registry code 056075Y, https://openairdocs.org/model/cooper-james-r-ac-4c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: COOPER JAMES R AC-4C
- Reported engine: NONE NONE
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 18,800 total, 17 in this make and model, 1 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA20FA097](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20FA097) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200209000579A

## Narrative

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

ON 09FEB2020, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DEPARTED KFRR FROM RUNWAY 28, IN HIS SINGLE PILOT, RUSSIA AC-4C GLIDER AT APPROXIMATELY 1224HRS. AT APPROXIMATELY 1324HRS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ GLIDER WAS SPOTTED SPINNING DOWNWARD, WHERE WITNESSES STATE THAT PILOTS TYPICALLY INITIATE THEIR TURN TO BASE LEG WHILE APPROACHING RUNWAY 28. SEARCH FOR THE AIRCRAFT FOUND THE AIRCRAFT HAD GONE DOWN IN A WOODED AREA APPROXIMATELY 1/2 MILE, AND 45 DEGREES OFF, OF THE THRESHOLD FOR RUNWAY 28. TOW PLANE BEING USED FOR GLIDER TOWING THAT DAY WAS STILL ALOFT, AND FOUND WRECKAGE, REPORTED LOCATION TO THE AIRPORT. 911 WAS CALLED AND PERSONNEL AT THE AIRPORT WENT TO THE SCENE, WHERE THEY FOUND THE PILOT UNRESPONSIVE.

## 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 ERA20FA097](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20FA097), Feb 9, 2020: Aviastroitel AC 4C (N912ES), Front Royal, VA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's exceedance of the glider’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering for landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent loss of control.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.