- Date
- May 10, 2008, 15:40 local (22:40 UTC)
- Place
- Tehachapi, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N361KSSchleicher ASK-21
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080510857669A
- Case key
- 67978
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's inadequate preflight procedures and failure to check the spoiler control position, which resulted in the inadvertent deployment of the spoilers during takeoff. A contributing factor was the pilot's misinterpretation of the tow pilot's instructions.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The glider was being towed to altitude by a tow airplane. During the takeoff initial climb, the spoiler handle was not locked and the spoilers momentarily extended twice and although the pilot felt that he had to input forward control forces, he did not visually check the position of the spoiler control handle. The tow pilot then gave a rudder wave signal to the pilot telling him to check the spoilers; however, because the spoilers appeared retracted when the pilot verified their position, the glider pilot misinterpreted the tow pilot and released the glider from the tow airplane at approximately 100 feet above ground level. The glider pilot force-landed the glider in a field. During the landing, the empennage broke from the remainder of the glider. The glider pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the glider.
Factual narrative
The glider was being towed to altitude by a tow airplane. During the takeoff initial climb, the spoiler handle was not locked and the spoilers momentarily extended twice and although the pilot felt that he had to input forward control forces, he did not visually check the position of the spoiler control handle. The tow pilot then gave a rudder wave signal to the pilot telling him to check the spoilers; however, because the spoilers appeared retracted when the pilot verified their position, the glider pilot misinterpreted the tow pilot and released the glider from the tow airplane at approximately 100 feet above ground level. The glider pilot force-landed the glider in a field. During the landing, the empennage broke from the remainder of the glider. The glider pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the glider.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N361KS
- Reported as
- Schleicher ASK-21
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 21224
- Engine
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Skylark North
- Registered owner
- Charles I H Cant
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- L94 · Tehachapi, CA
- Destination
- L94 · Tehachapi, CA
- Airport
- L94 · Mountain Valley Airport, runway 27R, 4,890 × 36 ft, asphalt
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 2,095 total · 6 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 8 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- WJF, 25 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 N361KS · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.