ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 88208
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| Date: | Monday 22 October 1984 |
| Time: | c. 1330 |
| Type: |  Schleicher ASK 13 |
| Owner/operator: | Hauraki Aero Club Inc. |
| Registration: | ZK-GIK |
| MSN: | 13450 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Thames Aerodrome, Waikato -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Thames (NZTH) |
| Thames (NZTH) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Instructor-pilot: Alan Paul Belworthy, 22, injured.
Student pilot: Alistair William Christie, 18, killed. R.I.P.
ZK-GIK was aero-towed to a hill some 3 km from the aerodrome.
Conditions for hill soaring were good, and with the instructor handling the controls the glider was released from tow and positioned in lift above the windward face of the hill.
As the glider was manoeuvred in the lift it was upset by turbulence and entered a steep left bank which could not be recovered from before the left wingtip struck the hilltop. The aircraft, still banked to the left, flew past the hilltop and entered sinking air on the lee side.
The left wing then collided with a tree and the glider cartwheeled into the face of the slope.
The aircraft received severe damage to the forward section of the fuselage and the front seat occupant suffered fatal injuries. The instructor, in the rear seat, was injured also.
The accident investigators found :
"3.8 Probable cause: the probable cause of this accident was the occurrence of a turbulence upset
and loss of control in a position from which an uncontrolled descent into the terrain could not be avoided. A contributory factor was the instructor's decision to manoeuvre the glider close to the hill top in the prevailing strong wind conditions."
Sources:
Aircraft Accident Report No.84-101.
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Jan-2011 14:00 | ASN archive | |
| 14-Aug-2011 02:11 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Plane category, ] |
| 14-Aug-2011 02:16 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 14-Aug-2011 15:50 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 22-Sep-2011 06:20 | Uli Elch | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 31-Dec-2011 03:48 | Yak52 | Updated [Narrative] |
| 18-May-2018 03:59 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 26-Jun-2021 18:49 | angels one five | Updated [Phase] |
| 12-Feb-2022 08:56 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
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