- Date
- July 3, 1990, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- South Mountain, PA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N41MPRolladen-Schneider LS-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900703023309A
- Case key
- 36675
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 airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
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.
Loss of control - in flight
Weather condition - no thermal liftFactor
Planned approach - improperFactor
Weather condition - downdraftFactor
Airspeed - not maintainedCause
Stall - inadvertentCause
In flight collision with terrain/water
Terrain condition - open field
Analysis
The pilot ran out of lift and attempted a landing in an open field. He was too high and flew beyond the field to make a 180 degree turn and land downwind. During the turn, the glider stalled and struck the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41MP
- Reported as
- Rolladen-Schneider LS-3
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 3029
- Airframe hours
- 727
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Chares F. Dewald
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 29, 1990 · 28 hours before
- Departed
- W73 · Fairfield, PA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Flight hours
- 611 total · 150 in this make and model · 611 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.