- Date
- October 12, 2014, 12:25 local (16:25 UTC)
- Place
- Waynesville, OH
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N36135Schweizer SGS 2 33A
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 12, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20141012019169A
- Case key
- 90255
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 pilot's inadequate flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 2
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 pilot and flight instructor planned on conducting a flight review in a glider, which was expected to take three flights. The first flight was the accident flight. After departure, the pilot performed several maneuvers behind the tow plane, to include 90-degree steep turns, before releasing from the tow plane. The pilot performed some additional maneuvers before descending to 1,500 ft agl in preparation to land. The flight instructor reported that he gave no specific instructions to the pilot for the landing. As the glider approached the runway, the pilot preformed a forward slip with full rudder and full spoilers deployed. The pilot stopped the slip in order to clear trees at the end of the runway. After clearing the trees, the pilot resumed the slip with the spoilers still deployed. As the glider neared the ground, the pilot discontinued the slip. The flight instructor said that as the pilot came out of the slip, the glider's descent rate increased. The pilot made no attempt to flare the glider, which resulted in a hard landing. The glider sustained only minor damage; however, the pilot was seriously injured. The flight instructor stated that an upslope in the runway may have given the pilot the visual illusion that that they were higher above the ground than they actually were. He also said that he was overly confident in the pilot's ability and let his guard down.
Factual narrative
The pilot and flight instructor planned on conducting a flight review in a glider, which was expected to take three flights. The first flight was the accident flight. After departure, the pilot performed several maneuvers behind the tow plane, to include 90-degree steep turns, before releasing from the tow plane. The pilot performed some additional maneuvers before descending to 1,500 ft agl in preparation to land. The flight instructor reported that he gave no specific instructions to the pilot for the landing. As the glider approached the runway, the pilot preformed a forward slip with full rudder and full spoilers deployed. The pilot stopped the slip in order to clear trees at the end of the runway. After clearing the trees, the pilot resumed the slip with the spoilers still deployed. As the glider neared the ground, the pilot discontinued the slip. The flight instructor said that as the pilot came out of the slip, the glider's descent rate increased. The pilot made no attempt to flare the glider, which resulted in a hard landing. The glider sustained only minor damage; however, the pilot was seriously injured. The flight instructor stated that an upslope in the runway may have given the pilot the visual illusion that that they were higher above the ground than they actually were. He also said that he was overly confident in the pilot's ability and let his guard down.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N36135
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 2 33A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 564
- Airframe hours
- 3,600
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Soaring Society Of Dayton Inc
- Registered owner
- Soaring Society Of Dayton Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2014
- Departed
- 2OH9 · Waynesville, OH
- Destination
- 2OH9 · Waynesville, OH
- Airport
- 2OH9 · Caesar Creek Gliderport, runway 09, 2,800 × 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 6, 2014
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,166 total · 230 in this make and model · 1,084 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 23
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- April 14, 2014
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 70 total · 42 in this make and model · 2 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- ILN, 14 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 12, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 962 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.
Other investigations on N36135 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.