- Date
- July 1, 2011, 11:48 local (16:48 UTC)
- Place
- Stonewall, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N533BGSchempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau DUO Discus
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Windshear or thunderstorm
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 4, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110701019869A
- Case key
- 80964
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 loss of directional control during an off-field landing in gusting wind.
Findings · 1
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
According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot experienced a loss of lift while soaring and performed an off-field landing to a pasture. During the landing, a gust of wind blew the glider down an embankment and into a barbed wire fence. During the impact with the fence, the left wing sustained leading edge damage, and the empennage separated partially from the fuselage. A postaccident examination of the glider and its systems revealed no preimpact malfunctions or failures.
Factual narrative
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot experienced a loss of lift while soaring and performed an off field landing to a pasture. During the landing a gust of wind blew the glider down an embankment and into a barbed wire fence. During the impact with the fence, the left wing sustained leading edge damage, and the empennage separated partially from the fuselage. An examination of the glider and its systems revealed no preimpact malfunctions or failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N533BG
- Reported as
- Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau DUO Discus
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 533
- Airframe hours
- 232.6
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 25, 2011
- Departed
- 5C1 · San Antonio, TX
- Destination
- 5C1 · San Antonio, TX
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
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 1,013 total · 100 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 9 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 38,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KT82, 16 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 12, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 68 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.