# NTSB DEN06CA086: Rolladen-Schneider LS-3, N48CW, Buena Vista, CO, June 11, 2006 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: June 11, 2006, 15:34 local (21:34 UTC) - Place: Buena Vista, CO - Coordinates: 38.813331, -106.117225 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.8133&lon=-106.1172&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report October 3, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 63908 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN06CA086 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/63908/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN06CA086 ## Probable cause the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control resulting in an inadvertent stall/mush. Contributing to the accident was the downdraft. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight encounter with weather, approach - weather condition - downdraft (contributing factor) - Loss of control - in flight, approach - stall/mush - inadvertent, pilot in command (cause) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The pilot had been soaring for about 4 hours when he decided to return to the airport. The AWOS (automated weather observation system) had been indicating that the wind was generally from the south-southeast at 10 to 18 knots. As the pilot got closer to the airport, AWOS indicated the wind was from 240 degrees and greater than 20 knots, then 250 degrees at 20 knots. When the pilot had descended to 700 feet agl (above ground level), he encountered a "strong sink." He said that he lost 400 feet in 12 seconds (2,000 fpm descent) and there was a barn, aircraft, and vehicles in his flight path. He decided to make a 180-degree turn in an attempt to land in a field west of the airport. The pilot rolled out of the turn at 30 feet agl. At 15 feet agl, the glider stalled and landed hard on rough, uneven terrain. The landing gear was torn off and the fuselage was buckled. ## Factual narrative On June 11, 2006, at 1534 mountain daylight time, a Rolladen-Schneider GMBH, N48CW, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during an off-airport landing at Buena Vista, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant on board the airplane, was seriously injured. The flight originated from Buena Vista at 1106. The pilot said he had been soaring for about 4 hours when he decided to return to the airport. The AWOS (automated weather observation system) had been indicating that the wind was generally from the south-southeast at 10 to 18 knots. As the pilot got closer to the airport, AWOS indicated the wind was from 240 degrees and greater than 20 knots, then 250 degrees at 20 knots. When the pilot had descended to 700 feet agl (above ground level), he encountered a "strong sink." He said that he lost 400 feet in 12 seconds (2,000 fpm descent) and there was a barn, aircraft, and vehicles in his flight path. He decided to make a 180-degree turn in an attempt to land in a field west of the airport. The pilot rolled out of the turn at 30 feet agl. At 15 feet agl, the glider stalled and landed hard on rough, uneven terrain hard. The landing gear was torn off and the fuselage was buckled. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N48CW](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N48CW), registered now, S/N 3196, built 1977 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Rolladen-Schneider Gmbh LS-3 - Registry model: [Rolladen-Schneider LS-3](https://openairdocs.org/model/rolladen-schneider-ls-3) (registry code 3801213) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [NONE](https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (registry code 00000, none) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Glider - Serial number: 3196 - Airframe hours: 1126 - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 1, 2005 - Departed: 7V1, BUENA VISTA, CO - Destination: 7V1, Buena Vista, CO - Airport: 7V1, Central Colorado Regional ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 55; injuries: serious; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review December 1, 2005; seat: front; flight hours: 930 total, 233 in this make and model, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 260° at 14 knots, gusting 18 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 9,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 57 °F, dew point 19 °F - Altimeter: 30.55 inHg - Observed at: MYP, 22 nm away ## 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 20060611016009A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060611016009A), Jun 11, 2006: Rolsch LS3, Buena Vista, CO, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot [privacy data omitted] ^ encountered a severe down draft on final approach, causing his glider to impact the ground in an open field prior to… 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.