- Date
- January 22, 1983, 09:20 local (17:20 UTC)
- Place
- North Shore, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N65808Schweizer 2-33A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830122002259A
- Case key
- 23543
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 rated airplane pilot was taking flight instruction for a glider rating. He had made aprx 11 previous solo flts. The accident sequence began while the sailplane was being launched with a wench tow. The plt reported that the wench cable failed when the sailplane was climbing thru aprx 100 AGL. According to witnesses, the pilot delayed lowering the sailplane's nose, and subsequently, the plane stalled & crashed. An exam of the cable revealed that it had failed at a splice. The nicropress (fitting) used to spice the ends together had become worn.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65808
- Reported as
- Schweizer 2-33A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 298
- Airframe hours
- 3,687
- Engine
- NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Salton Sea Air Service
- Registered owner
- Brad Bertling
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Airport
- Desert Air Sky Ranch
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,670 total · 1,442 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.