# NTSB LAX01LA091: Schweizer SGS 1-26E, N2685H, Lake Elsinore, CA, February 3, 2001 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: February 3, 2001 - Place: Lake Elsinore, CA - Location: 33.6411° N, 117.3160° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs from NTSB’s distance and direction from SKYLARK (CA89), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.6411&lon=-117.3160&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 6, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA FLT STNDS DIST OFFICE - NTSB case key (mKey): 51448 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX01LA091 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/51448/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01LA091 ## Probable cause The failure of the glider pilot to maintain adequate airspeed during a turn from base leg to final approach, which lead to a stall and spin. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, approach - vfr pattern - base leg/base to final - distance/altitude - misjudged, pilot in command - airspeed(vs) - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - stall/spin - encountered - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled ## Analysis The student glider pilot had 25 hours total experience. This was his second flight of the day but his first ever in a single-place glider. He reported the flight was normal until the point where he returned for landing and was entering the landing traffic pattern. "[F]or some reason unknown to me, the glider went into a spin." He recovered from the spin about 200 - 300 feet below normal pattern altitude. He acknowledged that he should have adjusted his pattern to account for the loss of altitude but instead attempted to fly a normal pattern. As the aircraft approached the turning point from base leg to final approach, "I should have continued flying straight ahead, but I attempted to turn anyway. I was going too slow and was much too low to make a turn." The glider entered a spin a second time and impacted the ground. The pilot acknowledged having heard his instructor's instruction over the radio telling him to land straight ahead and not attempt the turn to final approach. ## Factual narrative On February 3, 2001, at 1150 hours Pacific standard time, a Schweizer SGS 1-26E glider, N2685H, was substantially damaged when the aircraft stalled and impacted the ground during a turn from landing base leg to final approach at Lake Elsinore private airport, Lake Elsinore, California. The solo student pilot was not injured. The local area instructional flight departed from Lake Elsinore at 1130, and was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 by the Lake Elsinore Soaring Club. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The 15-year-old pilot had flown over 60 glider flights and had about 25 hours total flying experience. According to his flight instructor, the pilot had not flown in the previous 3-week period, so he (the flight instructor) first flew with the student in a two-place glider. In his statement to the Safety Board, the student pilot stated this was his second flight of the day but his first ever in the single-place model 1-26E glider. He reported the flight was normal until the point where he returned for landing and was entering the landing traffic pattern. "[F]or some reason unknown to me, the glider went into a spin." He recovered from the spin about 200 - 300 feet below normal pattern altitude. He acknowledged that he should have adjusted his pattern to account for the loss of altitude but instead attempted to fly a normal pattern. As the aircraft approached the turning point from base leg to final approach, "I should have continued flying straight ahead, but I attempted to turn anyway. I was going too slow and was much too low to make a turn." The glider entered a spin a second time and impacted the ground. The pilot acknowledged having heard his instructor's instruction over the radio telling him to land straight ahead and not attempt the turn to final approach. ## Aircraft - Registration: N2685H (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Schweizer SGS 1-26E - Category: Glider - Serial number: 675 - Airframe hours: 652 - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Registered owner: Lake Elsinore Soaring Club - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 12, 2000, 151 hours before - Departed: CA89, Lake Elsinore, CA - Airport: CA89, Skylark, runway 11R, 2,800 × 100 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 16; injuries: none; student; seat: front; flight hours: 25 total, 5 as pilot in command, 3 in the last 90 days, 1 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC) - Wind: 320° at 5 knots - Visibility: 80 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 77 °F, dew point 23 °F - Altimeter: 30.17 inHg - Observed at: RIV, 17 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 20010203001949A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010203001949A), Feb 3, 2001: Scwzer SGS126E, Lake Elsimore, CA, Substantial damage. (-23)A single place Schweizer glider collided with the ground as the student pilot was attempting to turn base to final for runway 11 right at the Skylark… 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.