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| Date: | Saturday 19 July 2025 |
| Time: | 13:36 LT |
| Type: |  Politechnika Warszawska PW-5 Smyk |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N4426Z |
| MSN: | 17.09.012 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1997 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2034 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental O-470-11B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Hempstead, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Waller, TX (89TA) |
| Waller, TX (89TA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that while flying his glider, he was unable to maintain enough altitude to return to the departure airport, so he performed a forced landing to an alternate airport with a closed runway. During the landing rollout, the right wing of the glider struck a metal fence post, The glider pivoted and the left wing struck the barbed wire. The pilot said that he did not see the fence post because of the vegetation covering it. Both wings were substantially damaged. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The glider's encounter with atmospheric conditions where the lift was not sufficient to maintain flight.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN25LA271
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N4426Z
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Jul-2025 08:26 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 23-Jul-2025 08:26 | Captain Adam | Updated [Aircraft type, ] |
| 29-Jul-2025 20:18 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Category, Accident report, ] |
| 01-Oct-2025 09:21 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
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