20200509004709I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Schweizer SGS 1-26E · Byron, CA · May 9, 2020

Date: May 9, 2020 · 13:27 local
Place: Byron, CA
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N65972
Reported as: Schweizer SGS 1-26E
Reported engine: NONE NONE
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,840 total13 in the last 90 days

N65972Registered now · Schweizer SGS 1-26ES/N 591 · Built 1974 Airframe modelSchweizer SGS 1-26E Engine modelNONENone

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.

Video shows aircraft N4116Y taking off in tow with glider aircraft N65972 attached via tow rope. Shortly after take off it appears the glider nose up higher than tow aircraft. Glider then appears to pitch down briefly and then pitches to an even higher level than the tow aircraft. At this point it appears the tow aircraft cuts the tow line and pitches down at an extreme angle causing aircraft to crash into the runway where it becomes inverted. The aircraft then slides to a stop where shortly becomes engulfed in flames. One fatality to pilot of aircraft N4116Y. Glider aircraft N65972 landed safely on runway with one pilot on board.

As the FAA filed it

VIDEO SHOWS AIRCRAFT N4116Y TAKING OFF IN TOW WITH GLIDER AIRCRAFT N65972 ATTACHED VIA TOW ROPE. SHORTLY AFTER TAKE OFF IT APPEARS THE GLIDER NOSE UP HIGHER THAN TOW AIRCRAFT. GLIDER THEN APPEARS TO PITCH DOWN BRIEFLY AND THEN PITCHES TO AN EVEN HIGHER LEVEL THAN THE TOW AIRCRAFT. AT THIS POINT IT APPEARS THE TOW AIRCRAFT CUTS THE TOW LINE AND PITCHES DOWN AT AN EXTREME ANGLE CAUSING AIRCRAFT TO CRASH INTO THE RUNWAY WHERE IT BECOMES INVERTED. THE AIRCRAFT THEN SLIDES TO A STOP WHERE SHORTLY BECOMES ENGULFED IN FLAMES. ONE FATALITY TO PILOT OF AIRCRAFT N4116Y. GLIDER AIRCRAFT N65972 LANDED SAFELY ON RUNWAY WITH ONE PILOT ON BOARD.