- Date
- July 13, 2012, 14:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Redmond, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N96132Schempp Hirth Nimbus II
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Loss of lift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 4, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20120713013809A
- Case key
- 84318
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
A loss of aerodynamic lift that resulted in a forced landing on unsuitable terrain.
Findings · 1
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
According to the pilot, his glider was towed to an altitude of 6,000 feet above mean sea level (msl), which was about 2,600 feet above ground level, and released. The glider achieved an altitude of 7,500 feet msl, and the pilot continued to an area that he normally used for soaring. Once he reached the location, he realized the glider was too low to glide back to the airport and that in order to get to the next available safe field for landing the glider would have to cross a tree line. Upon approach to the trees, the pilot did not think the glider would be able to clear them, so he set up his approach for landing onto a road adjacent to the tree line. On the landing roll the glider’s right wing struck a tree. The pilot reported that the right wing was damaged and that the tail boom had separated. He also stated that there were no mechanical problems with the glider prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, his glider was towed to an altitude of 6,500 feet above mean sea level (msl), which was about 2,600 feet above ground level (agl), and released. The glider achieved an altitude of 7,500 feet, and the pilot continued on to an area that he normally used for soaring. Once he reached the location, he realized the glider was too low to glide back to the airport, or to a known suitable field for an off-airport landing. The pilot stated that his option was to soar to the next available safe field for landing. However, in order to get to the field, the glider would have to cross over a tree line. Upon approach to the trees, the pilot did not think the glider would be able to make it over them, so he set up his approach for landing onto a road adjacent to the tree line. On the landing roll out the right wing struck a tree. The pilot reported that the right wing was damaged, and the tail boom had separated. He also stated that there were no mechanical problems with the glider.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N96132
- Reported as
- Schempp Hirth Nimbus II
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 131
- Airframe hours
- 1,196
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John R Bentley
- Registered owner
- John R Bentley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 15, 2012
- Departed
- BDN · Bend, OR
- Destination
- Redmond, OR
- Airport
- BDN · Bend Municipal Airport
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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 29, 2012
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 5,500 total · 150 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 9 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- RDM, 17 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 2, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 869 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.