- Date
- July 13, 1998, 16:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bridgeport, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N95KMSchempp-Hirth Discus A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980713035559A
- Case key
- 43190
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 failure of the pilot to maintain clearance with the trees while maneuvering to locate a thermal lift.
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 pilot was flying low in a canyon with no thermal activity and attempted to gain lift by flying close to a ridge. The glider impacted a tree and the wings were torn off. The elevation at the accident site was approximately 7,700 feet msl. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction with the aircraft prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
On July 13, 1998, at 1600 hours Pacific daylight time, a Schemp-Hirth Discus A glider, N95KM, lost lift and impacted terrain approximately 10 miles northeast of Bridgeport, California. The aircraft was destroyed, and the private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The personal flight originated at the Minden, Nevada, airport at 1356, and was en route to the Lone Pine, California, airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that she was flying low in a canyon with no thermal activity. She attempted to gain lift by flying close to the ridge. The glider impacted a tree and the wings were torn off. The pilot reported that the glider then spun into the canyon wall and impacted the terrain. The elevation at the accident site was approximately 7,700 feet msl.
The pilot reported that she had not experienced any mechanical malfunction with the aircraft prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N95KM
- Reported as
- Schempp-Hirth Discus A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 534
- Airframe hours
- 424
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Tony Sabino
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 27, 1998 · 29 hours before
- Departed
- MEV · Minden, NV
- Destination
- O26 · Lone Pine, CA
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 316 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 8 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TVL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.