BFO93LA161

The pilot stated that prior to any flight, he always set the glider's altimeter to read an altitude of zero feet above mean sea level. The pilot stated that he got into the glider immediately after someone else got out, and thought he set the altimeter to read mean sea level. The pilot stated that the flight was uneventful and while on downwind to the runway, the airplane's altimeter indicated an altitude of about 1,000 feet. He thought he had another 1,000 feet to the ground and intentionally lost altitude to make a landing. The pilot stated that he soon realized the glider was close to the ground and turned left towards the runway to land. During the turn, the airplane's left wing contacted trees. Post accident examination of the airplane revealed that the altimeter was set to that day's barometric pressure.

On Monday, September 6, 1993, at 1515 eastern daylight time, a Schweizer SGS2-33A, N34367, operated by PGH Soaring Club Inc., of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and piloted by Warren Johnson of McMurray, Pennsylvania, collided with terrain while in the Bandel Airport's traffic pattern. The pilot was not injured and the glider was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

The pilot stated to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, that prior to all his flights, he would set the airplane's altimeter to read zero feet--not the field's elevation. The pilot said that he got into the glider immediately after someone else got out, and thought he set the altimeter to read zero feet above mean sea level. A witness to the accident stated, "I had preflighted N34367, set the altimeter to 1200 feet field elevation and flown the flight previous to Warren Johnson's flight."

The pilot stated that the flight was uneventful and while on the downwind leg for the runway, he thought he was about 1,000 feet above the ground because the altimeter was reading about 1,000 feet. The pilot wrote on the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report form, "...Announced downwind for RW [runway] 36, altimeter read 1,000 feet but [I] realized I was lower, planned to cut downwind leg short, turned left onto base, left wing hit tree." The airplane fell through the trees and came to rest about three feet from the ground.

The post accident examination of the airplane revealed that the altimeter was set to that day's barometric pressure of 30.06 inches of mercury and indicated an altitude of about 1,200 feet above mean sea level. The Bandel airport's field elevation is 1,210 feet above mean sea level.