- Date
- February 19, 2000, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Miami, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N65819Schweizer SGS2-33A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000219012219A
- Case key
- 48682
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 planned the approach too low, which resulted in inadequate altitude to clear powerlines, and the subsequent in-flight collision with the ground.
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
While on approach the glider did not have sufficient altitude to clear power lines about 150 feet from the runway. The pilot turned the glider to the left to avoid contacting the power lines. The left wing tip contacted the ground. The glider came to rest heading in the opposite direction short of the runway. The pilot never returned the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, and his account of the events are not known.
Factual narrative
On February 19, 2000, about 1300 eastern standard time, a Schweizer SGS2-33A glider, N65819, owned by a private individual impacted with the ground during an approach near Miami, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. The glider was substantially damaged. The airline transport-rated pilot reported no injuries. The flight had originated from a private glider field about 15 minutes earlier.
The glider was on approach to runway 09, and according to the FAA did not have sufficient altitude to clear power lines about 150 feet from the runway. The pilot turned the glider to the left to avoid contacting the power lines. The left wing tip contacted the ground. The glider came to rest heading in the opposite direction, about 10 feet from the approach end of the runway.
The pilot never returned the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, and his account of the events are not known.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65819
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS2-33A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 307
- Airframe hours
- 2,036
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Scott D. Bingham
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Airport
- NONE · Miami Gliderport, runway 9, 2,600 × ft, grass/turf
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 5,900 total · 32 in this make and model · 60 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MIA, 6 nm away
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 N65819 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.