- Date
- September 19, 1985, 17:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- New Castle, VA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N39DGSchleicher ASW-20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850919077789A
- Case key
- 11193
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
According to the plt, after experiencing a loss of lift, he flew over the open field, observed electrical wires, and continued to fly parallel with the wires. As he turned westward to land in the field, the plt lost sight of the power lines in the sunset. Next, the plt observed the wires contacting the acft, although a state trooper could not find evidence of the wires colliding with any of the glider's wing surfaces. The left wing of the glider then struck two fence posts and the acft ground-looped before coming to rest.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39DG
- Reported as
- Schleicher ASW-20
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 20356
- Airframe hours
- 422
- Engine
- None NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Joel N. Heintzelman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1984
- Departed
- VA85 · New Castle, VA
- Airport
- VA85 · New Castle Int'L
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,565 total · 425 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ROA, 15 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.