# NTSB ERA20LA145: Schempp Hirth Standard Cirrus, N271BL, Groveland, FL, April 7, 2020 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: April 7, 2020, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC) - Place: Groveland, FL - Coordinates: 28.411388, -81.835281 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.4114&lon=-81.8353&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering: Aerodynamic stall/spin](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 101152 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA20LA145 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/101152/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=101152 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20LA145 ## Probable cause The pilot’s exceedance of the glider’s critical angle of attack following his premature termination of the tow for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin during a turn back to the departure airport. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: angle of attack](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062042): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Related operating info (probable cause); cases with it: [Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062042/cases.md?model=38019VE), [All aircraft, 990 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062042/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering: Aerodynamic stall/spin](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241) (defining event); cases with it: [Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241/sequence.md?model=38019VE), [All aircraft, 1,529 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241/sequence.md) ## Analysis According to the tow pilot, while climbing through about 500 ft above the ground during takeoff, they encountered an area of turbulence and the glider got “low on the tow” and out of view in his mirror. He then felt the glider release from the tow. Witnesses stated that the glider released from the tow at "low" altitude and turned back toward the gliderport when the nose of the glider pointed “down," and the glider descended vertically from view. Examination of the wreckage confirmed continuity to all flight control surfaces and revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies. Review of the pilot’s logbook revealed a total of 49 flights. Of those flights, 44 were performed in two-seat gliders. The pilot had recorded five flights in the accident glider, all of which included an aerotow to a release altitude of either 2,500 or 3,000 ft agl. There was no evidence to indicate that the pilot had performed any simulated takeoff emergencies in the accident glider make and model. A number of different mechanical, operational, and environmental factors can result in an early termination of a tow; however, the reason the pilot terminated the tow could not be determined based on available evidence. Witness descriptions of the glider’s flight after release are consistent with the pilot exceeding the critical angle of attack while maneuvering toward the runway, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. ## Factual narrative On April 7, 2020, at 1400 eastern daylight time, a Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus glider, N271BL, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Groveland, Florida. The private pilot was fatally injured. The glider was operated as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the tow pilot, it was customary to tow gliders to 2,000 ft above ground level (agl) before tow release. He said that the initial takeoff from runway 36 was "…normal with slight PIOs (pilot-induced oscillations) from the glider but nothing extreme.” About 500 ft above the ground, the aircraft encountered an area of turbulence, and the tow pilot noticed that the glider was low and out of sight in his mirror. At that time, he felt the glider release from tow. The tow pilot did not witness the glider's descent or the accident. He added that at no time did he see the glider’s spoilers deployed. Two witnesses on the ground, who were residents of the gliderport residential community, described watching the glider release from the tow at a "low" altitude and turn to the east. They each described the turn continuing to the south, and then the nose of the glider "point down," before it descended vertically from view. The glider came to rest on the gliderport property behind a residence on the east side of the turf runway. Postaccident examination of the wreckage confirmed flight continuity to all flight control surfaces and revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies. An officer with the parent company of the gliderport was familiar with the glider and said that another pilot had recently flown it in competition; the glider was not disassembled after the competition but was hangered fully assembled. Flight control checks were performed and "certified" on the glider prior to the competition. Three devices (LXNav Nano, Naviter Oudie, and Nadler SN10) used for gliding and free-flight events and capable of storing non-volatile memory, were harvested from the wreckage; however, no data was recovered from the devices. Review of the pilot’s logbook revealed a total of 49 flights. Of those flights, 44 were performed in two-seat gliders. The pilot had recorded five flights in the accident glider, all of which included an aerotow to a release altitude of either 2,500 or 3,000 ft agl. There was no evidence to indicate that the pilot had performed any simulated takeoff emergencies in the accident glider make and model. According to the Soaring Society of America Soaring Safety Foundation, premature terminations of the tow are a leading cause of glider accidents and pilot fatalities. These events include not only broken towlines, but any event that involves a significant level of distraction for the pilot, such as inadvertent extension of the spoilers/dive brakes during takeoff or climb; an improperly closed or locked canopy; mechanical occurrences; and the pilot’s failure to maintain a proper position behind the tow plane. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N271BL](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N271BL), registered now, S/N 271, built 1972 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Schempp Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS (Undesignat) - Registry model: [Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS](https://openairdocs.org/model/schempp-hirth-standard-cirrus) (registry code 38019VE) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [NONE](https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (registry code 00000, none) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Glider - Serial number: 271 - Year built: 1972 - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Other - Departed: 6FL0, Groveland, FL - Destination: 6FL0, Groveland, FL - Airport: 6FL0, Seminole Lake, runway 36, 3,000 × 200 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 58; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; seat: single; flight hours: 110 total, 19 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 60° at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 61 °F - Altimeter: 30.06 inHg - Observed at: ZPH, 20 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 20200407003819A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200407003819A), Apr 7, 2020: Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS, Clermont, FL, Destroyed, 1 fatal. Aircraft departed runway 36 at 6FL0 with tow aircraft. At approximately 500 ft, shortly after takeoff, the glider unhooked from the tow rope. The glider flew… ## Docket (12 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 17, 2022, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=101152. 34.1 MB in all. - Tow pilot statement (item 1, PDF, 1 page, 26.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11950814&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Tow%20Pilot%20Written%20Statement_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Tow pilot email statement (item 2, PDF, 3 pages, 212 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11951251&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Tow%20Pilot%20Email%20Statement_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Witness statements (item 3, PDF, 3 pages, 2.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11950576&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=200044727%20Written%20Statements_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Memorandum for record gliderport vp (item 4, PDF, 4 pages, 273 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11951531&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Memorandum%20for%20Record%20Captain%20Rich%20Owen-Rel.pdf - Wreckage exam NTSB investigator memorandum for record (item 5, PDF, 1 page, 116 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11951261&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Memorandum%20for%20Record%20Dan%20Boggs-Rel.pdf - Pilot's logbook (glider) (item 6, PDF, 8 pages, 631 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11950586&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Glider%20Logbook_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Soaring safety foundation excerpt (item 7, PDF, 2 pages, 118 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11951541&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Soaring%20Safety%20Foundation-Rel.pdf - Maps of accident area (item 8, PDF, 1 page, 283 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11951271&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Map%20of%20Accident%20Site-Rel.pdf - Photo array (item 9, PDF, 4 pages, 2.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11950596&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photo%20Array-Rel.pdf - Release of aircraft wreckage, NTSB form 6120.15 (item 10, PDF, 1 page, 461 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11951551&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=N271BL%20Release_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Electronic devices specialist's factual report (item 11, PDF, 4 pages, 362 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12049666&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ERA20LA145_NoData_Final-Rel.pdf - Evidence control form (item 12, PDF, 2 pages, 237 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12080414&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Evidence%20Control%20Form%20LA145_Redacted-Rel.pdf 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.