# Accident 20210715010749A: Alexander Schleicher Gmbh & Co ASW 27-18, Sterling, MA, July 15, 2021

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 15, 2021, 16:00 local time
- Place: Sterling, MA
- Airport: Sterling
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.4259° N, 71.7929° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.4259&lon=-71.7929&mi=10
- Aircraft: N129MG, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N129MG) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Alexander Schleicher ASW 27-18 (registry code 3801538, https://openairdocs.org/model/alexander-schleicher-asw-27-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ALEXANDER SCHLEICHER GMBH & CO ASW 27-18
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 3,216 total, 435 in this make and model, 63 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA21LA329](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA21LA329) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210715010749A

## Narrative

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

LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL RESULTED IN A GROUND LOOP WHILE UNDER TOW DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL. GROUND LOOP RESULTED IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT INCLUDING; TAIL BOOM SEVERED, STRUCTURAL CRACKS IN VERTICAL STABILIZER, TEAR IN TRAILING EDGE OF LEFT AILERON.

## 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 ERA21LA329](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA21LA329), Jul 15, 2021: Alexander Schleicher ASW 27-18 (N129MG), Sterling, MA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain the glider’s stability in the roll axis during the takeoff roll, which resulted in a dragged wingtip and ground loop.

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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