# NTSB WPR09LA313: Rolladen-Schneider OHG LS3-A, N800JM, Cedar Valley, UT, June 25, 2009 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 25, 2009, 12:40 local (18:40 UTC) - Place: Cedar Valley, UT - Coordinates: 40.2425, -112.092781 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.2425&lon=-112.0928&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Takeoff: Dragged wing/rotor/float/other](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/093) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report November 9, 2009 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 74141 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR09LA313 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/74141/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=74141 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR09LA313 ## Probable cause The pilot inadvertently applied the tow release handle. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Action: incorrect action selection](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041010): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause) - [Fuselage: aerial tow equipment section](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035301): Aircraft › Aircraft structures · Incorrect use/operation (probable cause) ## Analysis The glider was being towed aloft by a tow-plane. Takeoff procedures for the glider required that the flaps be set at 0 degrees until aileron effectiveness, and then the flaps should be set at 10 degrees. The pilot had 0 degrees of flaps selected, and during the ground roll, the left wing was dragging on the ground surface. He attempted to align the glider with the runway and removed his hand from the flap handle and placed it on the tow release handle, intending to abort the takeoff. He leveled the wings and the glider lifted from the runway. The pilot gained control of the glider and intended to extend the flaps 10 degrees; however, his hand was still on the tow release handle and he unintentionally pulled the tow release at 75 to 100 feet above ground level. During the forced landing, the pilot misjudged the flare, the glider landed hard, and the pilot sustained serious spinal injuries. ## Factual narrative On June 25, 2009, at 1240 mountain daylight time, N800JM, a Rolladen-Schneider OHG LS3-A glider, landed in a field shortly after takeoff from West Desert Airpark, Cedar Valley, Utah. The pilot owned the glider and was operating it under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The glider sustained minor damage and the private pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The pilot submitted a written statement. He reported that he was departing from runway 17 through an aero-tow behind a Cessna 182. The wind was from 080 degrees at less than 10 knots. Normal aero-tow requirements state that flaps should be kept at 0 degrees until aileron effectiveness. The flaps should then be set to 10 degrees. The pilot’s left hand was on the flap handle and the flaps were set to 0 degrees at the beginning of the takeoff. The pilot stated that the left wing was set too low and then dropped during the takeoff. As the left wing was scraping along, the nose of the glider was yawing to the left. He applied full right rudder, attempting to stay straight down the runway. The pilot then took his left hand off the flap handle and placed it on the tow release handle, intending to abort the takeoff. Before pulling the release, he made an attempt to level the wings with an abrupt roll motion with the stick. The glider banked to the right and then lifted off, drifting high and to the right of the runway and the tow-plane. As the tow-plane climbed, the pilot gained control of the glider and gradually positioned it behind the tow-plane using a sideslip and forward stick pressure. As he maneuvered the glider into position, the pilot moved his hand back to extend the flaps 10 degrees. However, his left hand was still holding the tow release handle and not the flap handle, and he unintentionally pulled the tow release at 75 to 100 feet above ground level. The pilot further reported that he followed his emergency plan and lowered the nose slightly while turning in order to land in a field. The pilot felt that he focused too much on his aim point and not on the horizon, and that he had opened the spoilers too much and did not extend the flaps. He misjudged his flair and the glider impacted the ground in a nose down position and the pilot sustained a spinal injury. The pilot felt that the accident was a result of a chain of mistakes due to the following: - He should have aborted the takeoff while still on the ground. - He was trained not to put his hand on the release handle until fully intending to release. - He was trained not to fixate on the aim point but to look down the runway at the horizon when nearing the ground so as to time the flare properly. According to the pilot, the lack of time to stabilize the approach as well as not having a runway to line up with likely aggravated this tendency. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Takeoff: Dragged wing/rotor/float/other](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/093) (defining event) - [Initial climb: Attempted remediation/recovery](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/060) - [Emergency descent: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440) - [Landing: Hard landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092) ## Aircraft - Registration: N800JM (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: ROLLADEN-SCHNEIDER OHG LS3-A - Category: Glider - Serial number: 3325 - Airframe hours: 1535 - Damage: Minor damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Steven G. Rathbun - Registered owner: Steven G Rathbun - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, November 5, 2008, 20 hours before - Departed: UT99, Cedar Valley, UT - Destination: UT99, Cedar Valley, UT - Airport: UT99, West Desert Airpark, runway 17, 2,600 × 40 ft, gravel ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 51; injuries: serious; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; last flight review November 25, 2008; seat: center; flight hours: 155 total, 20 in this make and model, 62 as pilot in command, 22 in the last 90 days, 15 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: variable at 4 knots - Visibility: 15 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 12,000 ft broken - Temperature: 88 °F, dew point 41 °F - Altimeter: 30.05 inHg - Observed at: PVU, 19 nm away ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 11, 2009, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=74141. 1.7 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 501 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40317271&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Email Correspondence from Pilot (item 2, .PDF, 47 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40317273&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Email%20Correspondence%20from%20Pilot-Redacted.PDF - Photo 1. Glider (Provided by FAA) (item 3, .PDF, 1.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40317279&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201.%20Glider%20(Provided%20by%20FAA)-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.