- Date
- May 28, 1990, 15:10 local (20:10 UTC)
- Place
- Mayville, NY
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N17EWRolladen-Schneider Lsif Sailplane
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900528017469A
- Case key
- 36648
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
Jammed flight controls in flight due to a bent aileron push-rod.
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 had been airborne for over two hours and was maneuvered in a left turn, in a thermal with some turbulence when the control stick went full left and he was unable to pull the stick free and regain control of the glider. He jettisoned the canopy, exited the glider, and deployed his parachute. The glider collided with trees during its uncontrolled descent to the ground. Post crash examination by the FAA disclosed the aileron push rod on the left wing was bent in an upward direction. This occurred during disassembly when the wings were removed for storage on a trailer. The trailing edge of the left wing was allowed to drop, which bent the push rod upward. When the control stick was moved to full left, the rivet on top of the aileron push rod made contact with the collar around the aileron push rod and the aileron control jammed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N17EW
- Reported as
- Rolladen-Schneider Lsif Sailplane (LSIF SAILP)
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 448
- Airframe hours
- 413
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Timothy W. Mara
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 7, 1990 · 5 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
- 38
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,442 total · 25 in this make and model · 1,320 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JHW
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.