- Date
- July 15, 1995, 15:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Odessa, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N88966Slingsby T-51
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 19, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950715024599A
- Case key
- 19500
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 failure to maintain airspeed required for flight, resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin at low altitude. A factor was the windshear.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to the pilot, he 'encountered [a] strong sink and associated windshear turbulence', while on a base leg turn for landing. During the turn to final, the 'glider's right wing dropped [and] the nose pitched down [resulting] in a stall/spin.' During recovery from the spin, the glider's right wing struck a fence. Two witnesses observed the glider 'cartwheel' following contact with the fence. Both wings, and the tail section were found separated from the fuselage.
Factual narrative
On July 15, 1995, at 1520 central daylight time, a Slingsby T-51 glider, N88966, was substantially damaged when it struck a fence following a loss of control during approach to Schlemeyer Field, near Odessa, Texas. The private pilot sustained serious injuries. The glider, owned by the pilot, was being operated under Title 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
According to the pilot, he "encountered [a] strong sink and associated windshear turbulence" while on a base leg turn for landing on runway 16L. He further reported that, during his turn to final, the glider's "right wing dropped [and] the nose pitched down [resulting] in a "stall/spin." During recovery from the spin, the glider's right wing struck a fence. Two witnesses observed the glider "cartwheel" following contact with the fence.
The glider came to rest inverted. Both wings, and the tail section, were found separated from the fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N88966
- Reported as
- Slingsby T-51
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 1437
- Airframe hours
- 1,075
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Tracy L. Clinkenbeard, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 20, 1994 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- E02
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 258 total · 145 in this make and model · 208 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MAF, 12 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.