- Date
- July 12, 2009, 15:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Durango, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N592JDPdps Pzl-Bielsko SZD-59
- Defining event
- Approach: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090712010369A
- Case key
- 74264
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 glider pilot's decision to perform a low-altitude 360-degree turn while on final approach to land.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The glider pilot entered a right downwind and turned right base, then to final to land north at the airport. He noticed the tow plane on the runway taking off to the south. The pilot elected to make an abrupt right 360 degree turn at about 80 feet above ground level and contacted trees. The glider was destroyed and the pilot sustained serious injuries.
Factual narrative
The glider pilot entered a right downwind and turned right base, then to final to land north at the Airport. He noticed the tow plane on the runway taking off south bound. The pilot elected to make an abrupt right 360 degree turn at about 80 feet above ground level and contacted trees. The glider was destroyed and the pilot sustained serious non life threatening injuries.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N592JD
- Reported as
- Pdps Pzl-Bielsko SZD-59
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- B-2158
- Airframe hours
- 711
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 25, 2009
- Departed
- CD82 · Durango, CO
- Destination
- CD82 · Durango, CO
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- CD82 · Val Air Airport, runway 35, 3,515 × 150 ft, grass/turf
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
- 53
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- September 14, 2007
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 194 total · 93 in this make and model · 131 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.30 inHg
- Observed at
- KDRO, 12 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 2, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 526 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.