# NTSB CHI95LA340: Piper PA-25-235B, N7753Z, Highland, IL, September 24, 1995 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 24, 1995, 12:40 local (17:40 UTC) - Place: Highland, IL - Coordinates: 38.730632, -89.689964 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.7306&lon=-89.6900&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Taxi](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/250) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 1 uninjured; on the ground: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report March 6, 1996 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 10047 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI95LA340 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/10047/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI95LA340 ## Probable cause a communication misunderstanding between the tow pilot and the glider pilot. Factors related to the accident were: the tow rope becoming entangled, excessive taxispeed by the tow pilot, and the unavailability of a dispatcher. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Miscellaneous/other, taxi - towing/advertising/external load equipment - entangled (contributing factor) - communications - not understood, pilot in command (cause) - communications - not understood, ground personnel (cause) - taxispeed - excessive, pilot in command (contributing factor) - dispatch - unavailable, company/operator management (contributing factor) ## Analysis THERE WAS CONFUSION BETWEEN THE TOW PILOT AND THE GLIDER PILOTS ON THE PLAN OF WHO WAS GOING TO BE TOWED BY WHAT TOW PLANE. ONE GLIDER PILOT BEGAN RETRIEVING THE TOW ROPE USING AROUND-THE-WAIST FASHION VERSUS USING A TOW ROPE HOOK. THERE WAS CONFUSION ON THE HAND SIGNAL TO STOP THE AIRPLANE BETWEEN THE TOW PILOT AND GLIDER PILOT, AND INSTEAD THE TOW PLANE INCREASED TAXI SPEED TO ABOUT 15 MPH. THE GLIDER PILOT BECAME ENTANGLED IN THE TOW ROPE AND WAS KNOCKED TO THE GROUND. THE SORING ASSOCIATION DID NOT HAVE A DISPATCHER PRESENT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. ## Factual narrative On September 24, 1995, at 1240 central daylight time, a Piper PA- 25-235B, N7753Z, registered to Saint Louis Soaring Association, of Glendale, Missouri, was involved in an accident while hooking up a glider. The glider pilot became entangled in the tow line and was knocked to the ground. The airplane sustained no damage. The commercial pilot reported no injuries. The glider pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, no flight plan was filed. From the tow pilot's written statement, he had just returned back to the setup area with his intention to tow the next glider in line. He said that there were a group of glider pilots and bystanders conducting release checks on the second tow plane/glider. He said he became confused by all the different hand signals by the group of people there, so he decided to taxi forward to clear the setup area and shut down to figure out what they wanted him to do. He noticed a group of people standing around the injured glider pilot lying on the ground. Witnesses stated they were conducting release checks for a second tow plane and a glider when the first tow plane arrived in the setup area. There was confusion between the tow pilot and the glider pilots on the plan of who was going to be towed by what tow plane. One glider pilot went to retrieve the tow rope without a tow rope hook, and used an around the waist fashion of retrieval. The glider pilot gave the tow pilot the stop hand signal when the tow rope came within 30 feet, but instead the tow pilot increased speed to about 15 MPH. The glider pilot was, "...gesturing to us that he was unsuccessful in communicating to the tow pilot what our plan was and the tow rope from the tow plane was spinning around his waist and then down his legs and pulled his legs out from under him... ." The injured glider pilot received seven broken ribs when his upper body impacted the ground. On the day of the accident, the Saint Louis Soaring Association did not have a dispatcher present. He would normally coordinate the ground and air scheduling. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N7753Z](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N7753Z), registered now, S/N 25-3936 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-25-235B - Registry model: [Piper PA-25-235](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-25-235) (registry code 7102504) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (registry code 41532, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 25-3936 - Airframe hours: 4648 - Engines: LYCOMING O-540-B2B5 235 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: No damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: St. Louis Soaring Association - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility - Last inspection: Annual, August 1, 1995, 53 hours before - Departed: H07 - Airport: H07, Highland-Winet, runway 36, 2,600 × 75 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 56; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 1,086 total, 204 in this make and model, 880 as pilot in command, 20 in the last 90 days, 11 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 140° at 4 knots - Visibility: 15 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 61 °F, dew point 27 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19950924049439A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19950924049439A), Sep 24, 1995: Piper PA25235, Highland, IL, No damage. (-16) During glider tow operation at Highland Illinois, a glider pilot became entangled in the tow line and was knocked to the ground and received serious… ## Other investigations on N7753Z (4) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CHI96LA339](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI96LA339), Sep 14, 1996: Piper PA-25 (N7753Z), Highland, IL, minor damage. Probable cause: failure of the Piper PA-25 tow pilot to see-and-avoid the Blanik L-23 glider. A factor relating to the accident was: neither aircraft was equipped with a communication radio. - [NTSB CHI81DCA08](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI81DCA08), Jun 28, 1981: Piper PA-25 (N7753Z), Belleville, IL, substantial damage - [NTSB CHI76DEV03](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI76DEV03), Jul 20, 1975: Piper PA-25 (N7753Z), Sheldon, IL, substantial damage - [NTSB CHI74FEV12](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI74FEV12), Aug 8, 1973: Piper PA-25 (N7753Z), Washington, IL, substantial damage From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.