Thursday, May 31, 2012

Schleicher ASW 27B, Aerodonetics Inc., N127PC: Accident occurred May 29, 2012 in Ionia, Michigan

NTSB Identification: CEN12LA330
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, May 29, 2012 in Ionia, MI
Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/12/2013
Aircraft: SCHLEICHER ASW-27, registration: N127PC
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The glider initiated a turn about 200 feet above the ground near the airport. After initiating the turn, the left wing and nose of the glider dropped, and the glider descended and impacted into trees. Recorded wind conditions showed the presence of wind gusts that continued to increase after the accident. Postaccident examination of the glider revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Data from digital devices onboard the glider recorded a speed near the glider stall speed immediately before the accident. The glider’s flight path, as described by a witness and recorded by the glider’s onboard digital devices, was consistent with the glider being in a stalled condition before the descent into terrain.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper airspeed in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in an inadvertent stall while maneuvering at an altitude that did not provide a margin for recovery.

On May 29, 2012, about 1535 eastern daylight time, a Schleicher ASW-27, N127PC, collided with the ground while maneuvering near the final approach for runway 27 at Ionia County Airport (Y70), Ionia, Michigan. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. The glider sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. The glider was registered to Aerodonetics, Inc., and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight during a Soaring Society of America (SSA) Region 6 North Super Regional glider competition. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed for the local flight that originated from Y70 about 1413.

A witness stated that he saw the glider returning to Y70 from the east. The glider was traveling at a "very slow speed" and the winds were gusting to 28 knots. As the glider got closer to the airport, it appeared that it side stepped and lined up for a straight-in approach to runway 27 (4,298 by 75 feet, asphalt). The witness stated that about 200 feet [above ground level], instead of deploying spoilers to land, the glider entered into a 90 degree turn to the south as if to "work a thermal" over runway 18/36 (4,261 feet by 340 feet, turf). The wind was pushing the glider "hard." The glider entered a turn to the left as if to enter a left downwind. At this point, the glider's left wing dropped followed by its nose, almost straight down to a northerly heading, while at an altitude that was about three times the height of the nearby trees. The witness stated that it appeared as if the pilot tried to regain control of the glider as one of the wings stopped dropping and the nose began to rise "slightly." The glider entered trees at about a 60 degree angle.

The wreckage was examined by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. The examination confirmed flight control continuity from the cockpit to the rudder and elevator. Both wings were separated from the fuselage. No anomalies that would have precluded normal operation were noted. Three electronic devices were removed from the wreckage and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Vehicle Recorder Division for data recovery.

The Y70 automated weather observing system at Y70 recorded the following:

At 1513, wind - 270 degrees at 18 knots, gusting 24 knots
At 1533, wind - 290 degrees at 21 knots, gusting 26 knots
At 1553, wind - 260 degrees at 20 knots, gusting 27 knots

Subsequent Y70 observations recorded increasing gusts.

The Vehicle Recorder Division Electronic Devices Factual Report includes graphical overlays of the accident flight, altitude, true airspeed, and ground speed. During the last 6-1/2 minutes of the accident flight, there were periods, which the glider is circling, are characterized by highly variable ground speed data along with a relatively constant true airspeed of around 100 kilometers per hour. At 1535:06, the following approximate recorded values were: true airspeed - 96 km/hr; ground speed - 53 km/hr; track - 234 degrees. The record ended at 1535:14.

According to the ASW-27 Flight Manual, the airspeed indicator markings for the white and green arc are 92.5 km/hr and 100 km/hr, respectively.

A postmortem examination was conducted by the Ionia County Medical Examiner. The cause of death was reported as blunt force injuries.

The FAA’s Civil Aerospace Medical Institute performed forensic toxicology on specimens from the pilot. The test results were negative for all substances tested.
=========


IONIA COUNTY, MI -- Police this morning identified the pilot who died Tuesday in a glider crash at the Ionia County Airport as 53-year-old Timothy Fredrick Gossfeld, 53, of Chanhassen, Minn.

Gossfeld died about 3:30 p.m. when the Schleicher ASW-27 crashed as he attempted to land the glider.

Gossfeld was among 43 pilots competing in this week's Region 6 North Super Regional glider competition at the Ionia airport on State Road just south of Ionia.

According to records from the Soaring Society of America, a glider association, Gossfeld has been competing in glider competitions since at least 2001.

The Federal Aviation Administration, in cooperation with National Transportation Safety Bureau, are investigating the crash.

Some pilots on Tuesday said windy conditions made flying difficult.

But an organizer of the 36th annual event said the conditions were not unusual for glider pilots. At the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Kent County, sustained winds were about 22 mph in mid-afternoon, with gusts to 32 mph.

Clay Monroe of New York state, another pilot in the competition, was forced to land in a field near Jefferson Road north of Ionia.

He said the wind made it difficult to stay in "thermals" needed to lift the glider.

Source:   http://www.mlive.com

IONIA, Mich. - The pilot who died in a glider crash near Ionia Michigan Tuesday has been identified as a Minnesota man.

Timothy Fredrick Gossfeld, 53, had come from Chanhassen to take part in the Region 6 Glider competition at the Ionia County Airport.

Gossfeld was the only occupant of the glider that crashed.

The manager of the multi-state glider contest says the competing pilots will decide Wednesday if the event will continue in the wake of Gossfeld's death.

His glider crashed into trees on the east side of the airport property around 3:35 p.m. Tuesday. Investigators say Gossfeld was dead on the scene.  Another glider crashed into a field north of Jefferson Road on the north side of Ionia around 4 p.m.  No one was injured in that crash.

Ionia County Airport is hosting a regional glider competition this week.  Event manager Sean Fidler says he has decided to stop his own flying this week in the wake of the other pilot's death.

Filber says two other pilots have already left the competition, and he will poll the other people involved to determine whether or not to continue.  He says he will announce the decision Wednesday.

Pilots told WZZM 13 News Tuesday that windy conditions hampered their ability to fly in the area.

Source:  http://www.kare11.com


FAA IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 127PC        Make/Model: AS26      Description: ASH-26E
  Date: 05/29/2012     Time: 1950

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: IONIA   State: MI   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED ON APPROACH. IONIA, MI

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   0     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:    


OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Approach      Operation: OTHER


  FAA FSDO: GRAND RAPIDS, MI  (GL09)              Entry date: 05/30/2012 

No comments:

Post a Comment