NYC97LA084

This was second flight of the day for the pilot/owner of the glider. The first flight lasted about 5 minutes, because the pilot stated that he could not gain any altitude, and he landed back at the airport. During the second takeoff, the pilot noticed the speed brakes were deployed. When he retracted the speed brakes, the glider 'popped up' higher than the tow plane, and the pilot released the tow rope. The pilot believed that he was too low to make it back to the airport, and went under telephone wires onto a road. The glider then ground-looped, and the left wing trailing edge struck a tree and the glider's tail broke midway down the tail cone. The pilot stated that there was the possibility that he may have bumped the speed brake handle.

On September 25, 1996, about 1600 eastern daylight time, a Schempp-Hirth Cirrus-S, N9775, a glider, was substantially damaged during a collision with trees after takeoff at the Wadsworth Municipal Airport, Wadsworth, Ohio. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

In a State Police report, taken on September 25, 1996, the pilot stated that during the accident flight, while being towed for takeoff, he noticed the speed brakes had deployed.

He further stated:

"...When I closed the drag brakes, my altitude popped up quickly, so I was higher than the tow plane, maybe 50' [feet] high. I released the tow rope and shoved the stick forward to maintain flying speed, but was too low to get back to [the] field. I went down on a road under telephone wires. The glider ground-looped, and the left wing trailing edge hit a tree and the tail broke midway down the tail cone..."

In a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector's report, he stated that the accident was reported to the FAA by the pilot, on April 24, 1997. The FAA Inspector's report stated that the pilot/owner of the glider said that the accident flight was his second flight of the day. During his first flight, which lasted about 5 minutes, he could not gain any altitude and landed back at the Wadsworth Municipal Airport.

The Inspector's report also stated that the pilot said that he had not experienced speed brake deployment in the accident glider, but had in other gliders. The pilot also said that there was the possibility that he may have inadvertently bumped the speed brake handle.