- Date
- February 12, 1994, 15:45 local (Feb 13, 1994, 01:45 UTC)
- Place
- Dillingham, HI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3622ZSchweizer 2-33-A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940212002049A
- Case key
- 28665
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 failure to maintain an adequate airspeed margin while maneuvering in the traffic pattern and his inadvertent entry into a stall/mush condition.
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
Ground witnesses to the accident reported that the glider entered the traffic pattern at a lower than normal altitude and appeared to be slow. The glider flew a normal length downwind leg and, while turning from base to final, stalled and dragged one wing tip on the ground. The glider then cartwheeled into the ground. The pilot reported in his written statement that he encountered strong turbulence and downdrafts while on final approach. The glider then pitched nose down, rolled to the left, and impacted on the runway.
Factual narrative
On February 12, 1994, at 1545 Hawaii standard time, a Schweizer 2-33-A glider, N3622Z, drug a wing tip turning base to final and cartwheeled into the ground at the Dillingham airport, Oahu, Hawaii. The glider was owned and operated by Soar Hawaii, Ltd., of Honolulu, Hawaii, and was rented by the pilot for a local area personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the operation. The glider incurred substantial damage. Neither the certificated commercial pilot nor his one passenger were injured. The flight originated from the Dillingham airport on the day of the accident about 1515 hours.
Ground witnesses to the accident reported that the glider entered the traffic pattern at a lower than normal altitude and appeared to be slow. The glider flew a normal length downwind leg and, while turning from base to final, stalled and drug one wing tip on the ground. The glider then cartwheeled into the ground.
The pilot reported in his written statement that he encountered strong turbulence and downdrafts while on final approach. The glider then pitched nose down, rolled to the left, and impacted on the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3622Z
- Reported as
- Schweizer 2-33-A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 575
- Airframe hours
- 6,166
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Soar Hawaii, Ltd.
- Registered owner
- Soar Hawaii, Ltd.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 4, 1993 · 97 hours before
- Airport
- HDH · Dillingham Airfield
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
- 30
- Certificates
- Military, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 1,187 total · 20 in this make and model · 157 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.