- Date
- January 6, 2007, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Immokalee, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5728SSchweizer SGS 2-33
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA, Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20070106008759A
- Case key
- 65266
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 glider towing "weak link," for undetermined reasons, at an inadequate altitude to effect a normal landing, resulting in a hard landing.
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
Shortly after takeoff after being towed by an automobile, the "weak link" of the tow rope broke while the glider was at an altitude of 40 feet. The pilot-rated student pitched down and established landing attitude at about 5 feet. The glider made a hard landing, seriously injuring the CFI. The pilot-rated student was not injured. The failed "weak link" was discarded by the operator before the NTSB made contact.
Factual narrative
On January 6, 2007, about 1330 eastern standard time, a Schweizer SGS 2-33 glider, N5728S, registered to and operated by High Soaring, Inc., was landed hard following failure of the weak link during a tow from the Immokalee Airport, Immokalee, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight from Immokalee Airport. The glider was not damaged and the certified flight instructor (CFI) sustained serious injuries but the pilot-rated student was not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The CFI stated that the pilot-rated student was at the controls during an auto tow, and while at 40 feet and 43 knots indicated airspeed while increasing pitch, the "weak link" at the automotive end broke. The pilot-rated student responded immediately by pitching down per their previous briefing. Landing attitude was established approximately 5 feet above the ground, but the glider made a hard landing onto grass on airport property.
The CFI notified the NTSB of the accident on January 16, 2007, which was after her release from the hospital on January 11, 2007. The failed weak link was discarded by the operator before the NTSB made contact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5728S
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 2-33
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- SGS-2-33-72
- Engine
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- High Soaring, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2006
- Departed
- KIMM · Immokalee, FL
- Airport
- IMM · Immokalee Airport, runway 36, 5,000 × 150 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 66
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 1, 2006
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 15,000 total · 42 in this make and model · 9,000 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KRSW, 20 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 N5728S · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.