# NTSB LAX04CA270: Pdps Pzl-Bielsko SZD-50-3, N19SZ, Lone Pine, CA, July 18, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: July 18, 2004, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC) - Place: Lone Pine, CA - Coordinates: 36.588333, -118.05194 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.5883&lon=-118.0519&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 29, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 59695 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX04CA270 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/59695/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04CA270 ## Probable cause the pilot failed to maintain runway alignment, and misjudged the clearance between the tree and the wing resulting in a collision with the tree. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, landing - object - tree(s) - proper alignment - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - clearance - misjudged, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis The glider collided with a tree during landing, and the right wing was torn from the fuselage. After clearing a set of power lines, the glider was 15 feet agl. The pilot saw a tree, and the glider drifted to the right of the runway centerline. He misjudged the clearance between the tree and the wing, and a collision occurred. The glider spun 270 degrees from its original flight path before coming to rest. The pilot recommended flying a higher approach to prevent future accidents. The pilot noted no mechanical malfunctions with the glider prior to the accident. ## Factual narrative On July 18, 2004, about 1530 Pacific daylight time, a PDPS PZL-BIELSKO SZD-50-3 glider, N19SZ, collided with a tree during landing at the Lone Pine Airport, Lone Pine, California. Associated Glider Clubs of Southern California, Inc., was operating the glider under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and one pilot-rated passenger were not injured; the glider sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local area flight. The glider departed through the assistance of a tow plane from the Lone Pine Airport about 1330. The pilot reported that during landing, the glider cleared a set of power lines. At 15 feet above ground level, the right wing impacted a tree branch; the glider spun around and came to rest 270 degrees from the original flight path. To prevent future accidents the pilot recommended flying a higher approach. The pilot noted no mechanical malfunctions with the glider prior to the accident. In a separate conversation, the pilot reported that he misjudged the clearance between the glider and the tree. During final, the glider drifted from the runway centerline to the right. The wing of the glider impacted the tree. The right wing was torn from the fuselage during the collision sequence. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N19SZ](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N19SZ-2013-08-07), registration cancelled 2013-08-07, S/N B2115, built 1997 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PDPS PZL-BIELSKO SZD-50-3 - Registry model: [Pdps Pzl-Bielsko SZD-50-3](https://openairdocs.org/model/pdps-pzl-bielsko-szd-50-3) (registry code 8821647) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [NONE](https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (registry code 00000, none) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Glider - Serial number: B2115 - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Associated Glider Clubs of Southern California,Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility - Departed: O26, Lone Pine, CA - Destination: O26, Lone Pine, CA - Airport: O26, Lone Pine, runway 13 ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 58; private; flight hours: 200 total, 50 in this make and model, 7 in the last 90 days, 1 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day ## 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 20040718012879A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040718012879A), Jul 18, 2004: Pdp SZD503, Lone Pine, CA, Destroyed. (-23) The pilot was making an approach to a dirt, southeast runway at Lone Pine, CA., when he clipped a tree with the wing of the glider due to sink. It was… 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.