- Date
- November 13, 1983, 12:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Lucerne Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7796SSchweizer SGS 1-26D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831113057189A
- Case key
- 24086
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 student plt was on his 1st solo launch using an auto tow & a nose hook. During the launch, the glider became airborne at about 42 mph. Thereafter, the student climbed successfully to an estimated alt of aprx 200 ft. at about that time, the student's instructor plt (ip), who was driving the launch vehicle, observed sand sailers at his 10 to 11 o'clock position. To avoid a confrontation & to protect the sand sailers from the tow line being dropped in their vicinity, the ip altered his course about 30 deg to the right. The tow line became slack & the student thought the launch vehicle was slowing (but it was reported accelerating). The student released the tow cable, then turned to land on the dry lake bed/strip. However, the glider stalled. The student said that he made an incomplete recovery prior to a very hard landing & ground loop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7796S
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 1-26D
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 456
- Airframe hours
- 590
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- S. Calif. Soaring Association
- Registered owner
- John P. Dezzutti
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Airport
- Rabbit Dry Lake
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 32
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 34 total · 34 in this make and model · 11 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.