- Date
- June 20, 2021, 15:16 local (22:16 UTC)
- Place
- Winthrop, WA · Camp Ground
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N974CQHPH Glasflugel
- Defining event
- Enroute: Loss of lift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210620010319A
- Case key
- 103311
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 glider’s encounter with atmospheric conditions where the lift was not sufficient to maintain flight.
Findings · 2
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 pilot reported that after an uneventful tow to 4,000 ft msl (about 2,300 ft agl), he proceeded to fly north with the intention of reaching a mountain peak about 40 miles away. Soaring conditions were good, and the glider had climbed to about 10,500 ft msl by the time he reached a peak at the halfway point. On the second leg, the glider started to encounter sink, and the pilot continued to fly along mountain ridges to regain altitude. The pilot managed to climb the glider back to 8,000 ft, but again began to encounter sink and decided to work along mountain ridges back to the south with the intention of landing at an intermediary airport. He was not able to maintain altitude, and ultimately decided to perform an off-airport landing into a valley clearing. During the landing roll the right wing was substantially damaged when it struck a tree. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N974CQ
- Reported as
- HPH Glasflugel (304CZ-17)
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 43-17
- Built
- 2001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Other
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 2020 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- 2S0 · Twisp, WA
- Flight plan
- Military VFR
- Equipment
- None
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
- 47
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Last flight review
- May 28, 2020
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 1,606.9 total · 148.5 in this make and model · 1,595.5 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 111 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.65 inHg
- Observed at
- KOMK, 27 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KOMK 302153Z AUTO 20007KT 10SM CLR 44/09 A2965 RMK AO2 SLP023 T04440089=
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.