- Date
- June 12, 2016, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Maysville, WV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N438QAPezetel SZD 48-1JANTAR STD 2
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Loss of lift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 10, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20160612013509A
- Case key
- 93432
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 glider's encounter with insufficient atmospheric lift conditions where the lift was not sufficient to maintain soaring flight, which resulted in an off-airport landing.
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
The pilot of the glider reported that, during a long distance ridgeline soaring flight, he encountered a loss of lift and dropped below the ridgeline. Unable to find another updraft, he was forced to land in an open field with tall grass. As the glider touched down, the landing gear struck a large hole that was concealed by the grass, shearing off the landing gear and causing a ground loop when the left wing struck the ground. The fuselage and tail were substantially damaged.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the glider reported that during a long distance ridgeline soaring flight, he encountered a loss of lift and dropped below the ridgeline. Unable to find another updraft, he was forced to land in an open field, with tall grass. As the glider touched down, the landing gear struck a large hole that was concealed by the grass, shearing off the landing gear and causing a ground loop when the left wing struck the ground. The fuselage and tail were substantially damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N438QA
- Reported as
- Pezetel SZD 48-1JANTAR STD 2 (UNDESIGNAT)
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- W 908
- Built
- 1979
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 29, 2015 · 2,210 hours before
- Departed
- 79N · Unionville, PA
- Destination
- 79N · Unionville, PA
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
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Last flight review
- June 11, 2016
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 700 total · 200 in this make and model · 650 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 17 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- KW99, 8 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 28, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 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.