ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 195707
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Friday 26 May 2017 |
| Time: | 15:23 |
| Type: |  Schleicher ASW 28-18E |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N63KR |
| MSN: | 28721 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2004 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 760 hours |
| Engine model: | Solo 2350 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Grant County west of Ephrata, WA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Ephrata, WA (EPH) |
| Ephrata, WA (EPH) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The private pilot of the glider received a tow to 3,000 ft above ground level. Recorded data from an onboard GPS device showed that the glider proceeded in a general westerly direction until it was about 15 nautical miles from the departure airport. It then turned and tracked eastward for the remainder of the flight. The data ended about 9 miles west-northwest of the departure airport. During the 43 minutes of recorded data, the glider reached a peak altitude of about 8,500 ft, slowly descended to about 3,900 ft, then entered another gradual descent that continued until ground contact. During the last 8 minutes of recorded data, the glider's speed was recorded slowly decreasing from about 76 to 40 knots. The glider came to rest in a dry, plowed field slightly northwest of the last GPS target. The engine was stowed and secure, and examination revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
The pilot received his private pilot certificate about one year before the accident and purchased the accident glider a few days later. The pilot's first flight in the glider occurred about 3 weeks before the accident from the accident airport. The accident flight was the pilot's second flight in the accident glider. It could not be determined whether the pilot obtained training specific to the accident glider or in motorglider operations.
The flight track data was consistent with normal glider operations and a slow descent to land. However, the on scene impact marks, the contained debris field, and the damage to the wreckage were all consistent with a stall. Therefore, it appeared that the pilot was attempting to make an off-field landing when the glider stalled and impacted the ground. It is unknown why the pilot did not use the airplane's engine; however, it was noted that very little fuel was removed from the glider at the accident site.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain glider control while attempting to conduct an off-airport landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=63KR
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-May-2017 02:22 | Geno | Added |
| 31-May-2017 09:38 | Alpine Flight | Updated [Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Damage] |
| 02-Mar-2019 14:46 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 03-Mar-2019 10:44 | harro | Updated [Source, Narrative, Photo] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation