- Date
- June 4, 1990, 15:03 local (22:03 UTC)
- Place
- Truckee, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2423WSchweizer SGS 1-26B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900604018369A
- Case key
- 26832
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's improper decision to release from the tow airplane at an insufficient altitude on the lee side of the mountains.
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 glider pilot released from the tow airplane without communicating with the tow pilot. The glider proceeded in a northeast direction toward the lee side of the mountains. The surface wind was from the southwest. The glider was observed at a low altitude disappearing over a ridge. The aircraft struck a 50 ft tree about 10 feet from the top then collided with the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2423W
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 1-26B
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 355
- Airframe hours
- 1,958
- Engine
- Unknown UNKNOWN, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert L. Tanner
- Registered owner
- David Soom
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 2, 1989 · 64 hours before
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
- 68
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Flight hours
- 62 total · 3 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N2423W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.