- Date
- April 22, 1987, 16:00 local (Apr 23, 1987, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mokuleia, HI
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N11468Schweizer SGS2-33
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 25292
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
During a local sightseeing flt along a ridge line, while maneuvering around a cloud build-up, the acft entered a windshear that suddenly nosed the acft over in an aprx 75 deg vertical dive. Just prior to colliding with trees, the plt was able to regain some control of the acft and collided with the terrain in an aprx 45 deg attitude. In these mountains a catabatic wind often flows downslope as solar heat is radiated from the terrain, cooling the terrain surface. The trade winds cross the ridges obliquely resulting in eddies that produce off ridge flow. When the eddies and catabatic gusts coincide, a wind shear can occur.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N11468
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS2-33
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 76
- Airframe hours
- 7,817
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Honolulu Soaring Club, Inc., doing business as Honolulu Soaring Club, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Honolulu Soaring Club Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 9, 1987 · 93 hours before
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 66
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 5,400 total · 497 in this make and model · 5,100 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg