- Date
- May 26, 1993, 14:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Avenal, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6644AWSK PZL KR-03A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 15, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930526015239A
- Case key
- 27972
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 glider's encounter with the downdraft. Contributing to this accidents were the turbulence and the powerlines.
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 encountered extensive turbulence and downdrafts while returning to the glider port. The pilot elected to land in an open field. While turning onto the base leg for the landing the glider encountered a severe downdraft. The pilot observed some powerlines and dove the glider beneath them. While directly under the powerlines the pilot observed a 3-FT barbedwire fence. When the pilot raised the glider's pitch attitude to avoid hitting the fence, the glider's right wing raised and struck the powerlines. The pilot did not report encountering any preexisting malfunctions or failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6644A
- Reported as
- WSK PZL KR-03A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 03/04
- Airframe hours
- 132
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kulbeth, Joseph
- Registered owner
- Kulbeth, Joseph
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 8, 1993 · 13 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
- 49
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 150 total · 8 in this make and model · 137 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.