- Date
- July 13, 1983, 12:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Bishop, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N56TMRolladen-Schneider LS3-A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830713031499A
- Case key
- 23472
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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
The glider plt was participating in a soaring contest which involved a quadrangle course. While enroute to the 1st turn point with 2 other sailplanes, the plt was observed to depart from the general flt path of the other 2 gliders & fly on the leeward side of a ridgeline. Subsequently, the glider crashed between 2 knolls, about 51 ft west & 5 ft below the ridgeline, in a slightly nose up & a near wings level attitude. No preimpact/part malfunction or failure was found. Between 1150 & 1250 PDT, the wind at Bishop, CA shifted from 030 to 340 deg. The accident occurred about 6 mi northeast of Bishop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56TM
- Reported as
- Rolladen-Schneider LS3-A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 3422
- Engine
- None NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Thomas Smiley Madigan
- Departed
- BIH · Bishop, CA
- Destination
- BIH · Bishop, CA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 400 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 97 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BIH, 6 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.