- Date
- December 2, 2012, 14:54 local (19:54 UTC)
- Place
- Middletown, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5787SSchweizer SGS 2-33A
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 23, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20121202027249A
- Case key
- 85742
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 improper altitude management in the landing pattern that caused the glider to impact trees on final approach.
Findings · 3
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 the student pilot, while on the downwind leg to runway 26, he "knew that he was too high" for a normal approach. He deployed the spoilers to full and extended the downwind leg to lose altitude. While turning onto base leg for final approach, he retracted the spoilers to one half thinking that he was still too high in the turn. The pilot stated that he flew into a pocket of air that caused the glider to sink. The pilot realized that he was going to be "quite" low and stated that he retracted the spoilers all the way in. While turning on to final approach, he clipped a tree with the left wing and the glider spun around to the left and came to rest in a tree, 25 feet above the ground. Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the left and right wing leading edges incurred substantial damage due to impact with trees. Both spoilers were found in the full extended position. The student pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the student pilot, while on the downwind leg to runway 26, he "knew that he was too high" for a normal approach. He deployed the spoilers to full and extended the downwind leg to lose altitude. While turning onto base leg for final approach, he retracted the spoilers to one half thinking that he was still too high in the turn. The pilot stated that he flew into a pocket of air that caused the glider to sink. The pilot realized that he was going to be "quite" low and stated that he retracted the spoilers all the way in. While turning on to final approach, he clipped a tree with the left wing and the glider spun around to the left and came to rest in a tree, 25 feet above the ground. Post-accident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the left and right wing leading edges incurred substantial damage due to impact with trees. Both spoilers were found in the full extended position. The student pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5787S
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 2-33A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 116
- Airframe hours
- 3,358
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Valley Soaring Club Inc
- Registered owner
- Valley Soaring Club Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2012
- Departed
- 06N · Middletown, NY
- Destination
- 06N · Middletown, NY
- Airport
- 06N · Randall Airport
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 29 total · 29 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KMGJ, 1 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 6, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 MB 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.