- Date
- June 2, 1990, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Montevallo, AL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N34431Schweizer SGS 1-26E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900602023599A
- Case key
- 8244
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The inattentiveness of the glider pilot to the aborted takeoff of the tow plane, which resulted in his delayed action in attempting to execute a forced landing. These actions resulted in an inadvertent stall and the aircraft collided with the terrain.
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
The private glider pilot was attempting an aerotow takeoff utilizing a Cessna 150 as a tow plane. During the takeoff, the tow plane aborted the takeoff. When the glider pilot realized that the tow plane had aborted the takeoff, he was already airborne and did not have sufficient runway left to land. While maneuvering the aircraft for an emergency landing, the aircraft stalled and collided with the terrain. Subsequent invesgiation revealed no mechanic malfunctions with either the glider or the tow plane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N34431
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 1-26E
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 631
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Birmingham Soaring Society
- Departed
- NONE
- Airport
- NONE · Flying X
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
- 73
- Certificate
- Private
- Flight hours
- 300 total · 120 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- BHM, 35 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N34431 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.