- Date
- October 15, 1988, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Benton, TN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9847ESchweizer SGU-2-22E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 4, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 7843
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
As the student pilot was attempting a dual aerial tow flight at 100 feet AGL, he experienced difficulty in staying behind the tow plane. The instructor took over the controls and while applying full right aileron noted no aileron movement. At 300 feet AGL the student released the glider from the tow plane. The instructor subsequently stalled the aircraft while attempting to land in an open field and settled into trees. Examination of the aircraft disclosed that the pins connecting the ailerons and pilot controls were not installed. They were not located at the accident site nor in the staging area. The instructor stated that he had flown this aircraft 3 times earlier that day.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9847E
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGU-2-22E
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 228
- Airframe hours
- 919
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Mike Reisman
- Registered owner
- Wendy Lene
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 18, 1988 · 86 hours before
- Departed
- 92A · Benton, TN
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 65
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 17,000 total · 26 in this make and model · 16,500 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point -0 °F