- Date
- May 16, 1998, 14:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Cedar Fort, UT
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N158RAS+ AC-4
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980516009559A
- Case key
- 20609
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
Failure by the pilot to maintain control of the aircraft. A factor was lack of experience in make and model.
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
While on down wind in the landing pattern, the aircraft was observed to enter a nose low attitude and impact the ground. Weather at the time was clear skies and calm winds. Examination of the aircraft provided no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. The pilot had accumulated 5 hours experience in aircraft make and model.
Factual narrative
On May 16, 1998, at 1415 mountain daylight time, an AS+ Ltd. AC-4 glider, N158R, was destroyed while landing at Cedar Valley Airport, near Cedar Fort, Utah. The private pilot and sole occupant received serious injuries. The aircraft was being operated by a private individual under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this local area personal flight which originated approximately 5 minutes before the accident. No flight plan was filed.
According to available information, the wind was calm. Witnesses reported that while on down wind, the aircraft assumed a nose low attitude and impacted the ground.
According to FAA records, the aircraft was first registered approximately a month before the accident and the pilot reported he had accumulated 5 hours of flight experience in the accident aircraft make and model.
Examination of the aircraft by an FAA inspector provided no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction.
The pilot provided minimal information on NTSB Form 6120.1/2 (Pilot/Operator Report Form) and did not return calls from either the Safety Board IIC or FAA inspector assigned.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N158R
- Reported as
- AS+ AC-4
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 27
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Richard S. Smith
- Registered owner
- Russia Sailplanes, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- UT10 · UT
- Airport
- UT10 · Cedar Valley, runway 35, 5,100 × 100 ft, gravel
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
- 63
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 455 total · 5 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PVU, 25 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.