DEN99LA102

The pilot said his tow aloft had been 'fairly rough,' and he released at 2,000 feet, in turbulence, and ascended in a thermal to 5,000 feet. He was 'frustrated' by the turbulence, and was 'having trouble controlling the plane,' so he decided to land. He began to get 'frustrated and nervous' and started 'breathing really hard because [he] was scared.' He began to 'feel strange,' and his face and hands 'felt numb. . .like they had fallen asleep.' He began to see 'a lot of little dots,' and he 'passed out.' He regained consciousness just before striking a stop sign. He flew under some powerlines, then landed in a field, and struck a pole embedded in the ground. A physician said the pilot was dehydrated and had hyperventilated, causing the brief lapse of consciousness.

On June 10, 1999, approximately 1520 mountain daylight time, a Schweizer SGU-2-22E, N5823V, owned and operated by the Civil Air Patrol, Inc., Maxwell AFB, Alabama, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during landing approach at Hobbs, New Mexico. The student pilot, the sole occupant aboard, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local instructional flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated approximately 1500.

The pilot wrote a statement for CAP officials on June 10, 1999. He said he had been doing steep turns at 1,000 feet [agl (above ground level)]. He began to "feel funny," so he started to roll out of the turn and "blacked out" about the time the glider struck a stop sign. The glider then flew below some powerlines. The pilot landed in a field and the glider struck a pole on the ground.

The pilot wrote a second statement that accompanied his NTSB accident report, dated June 24, 1999. He said his instructor approved the solo flight. "The winds were not bad enough to where I could not solo," he wrote. There was some crosswind from the south and the tow was "fairly rough." He released from the tow at 2,000 feet agl, in turbulence, and ascended in a thermal to 5,000 feet agl. The pilot said he was "being frustrated" by the turbulence, and was "having trouble controlling the plane," so he decided to land. He began to get "frustrated and nervous." He was "breathing really hard because [he] was scared." He started to "feel strange" and his face and hands "felt numb. . .like they had fallen asleep." He began to see "a lot of little dots" and "passed out." He regained consciousness just before striking a stop sign. He then flew under some powerlines, landed in a field, and struck a pole embedded in the ground.

A third statement (almost identical to the second) was written on August 3, 1999, and accompanied a second NTSB accident report.

Mark Kennedy and Jon McKinley witnessed the accident and submitted statements as to their observations (attached).

Although the pilot was uninjured in the accident, he was transported to the Lea Regional Medical Center where he was examined and released. The pilot's parents signed a release and their son's medical records were given to an FAA inspector. The physician who examined the pilot told CAP officials that he was dehydrated. This, together with his hyperventilating, probably caused the brief lapse of consciousness. The official diagnosis was "vasovagal syncope."