- Date
- June 10, 2019, 14:49 local (19:49 UTC)
- Place
- Independence, WI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N962JHPzl-Swidnik PW-5
- Defining event
- Enroute: Loss of lift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 6, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 99621
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 separation of the canopy from the glider during an off-airport landing for reasons that could not be determined.
Findings · 1
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, en route to his destination, the glider lost lift, so he diverted to a corn field for landing. During the landing, the glider bounced, and "the canopy popped off of the fuselage" and broke into several pieces. The glider sustained substantial damage to the canopy. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. Although the pilot said he bumped the canopy during the bounced landing, it could not be determined if that or some other mechanism caused the canopy to separate.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the glider reported that, while landing in a corn field, "the canopy popped off of the fuselage" and broke into several pieces. The glider sustained substantial damage to the canopy. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N962JH
- Reported as
- Pzl-Swidnik PW-5
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 17.07.018
- Built
- 1997
- Airframe hours
- 407
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 14, 2018
- Departed
- SYN · Stanton, MN
- Destination
- BCK · Black River Falls, WI
- Equipment
- Data recorder
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- September 17, 2017
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 368 total · 158 in this make and model · 352 as pilot in command · 19.1 in the last 90 days · 10.3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 9 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- KBCK, 24 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 7, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 785 KB in all.