Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Schleicher ASW-27, 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 to be:
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.


NTSB Identification: CEN12LA330 
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, May 29, 2012 in Ionia, MI
Aircraft: Schleicher ASW-27, registration: N127PC
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On May 29, 2012, about 1550 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 airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. The airplane 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. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed for the local flight that originated from Y70 about 1413.


IONIA, Mich. (WOOD) - A pilot is dead after crashing a glider into a group of trees near the Ionia County Airport.

It was just one of two crashes within minutes of each other on Tuesday afternoon.

The gliders were participating in the North Super Regional Soaring Competition.

The gliders, or sailplanes, are towed by a plane to a height of 2,000 feet and then released. They can ride the wind for hours, but eventually they must come down.

With no landing gear, grassy earth provides the runway. Participants said landing can be difficult.

Around 3:30 p.m., one glider fell short of its target, hitting an outcrop of trees on east side of the Ionia County Airport. The pilot -- the only person in the glider -- was killed.  

The National Weather Service said wind speeds reached 23 mph aloft at the time of the crash.

US National gliding team member Sean Franke said that those conditions were a little too windy.

"What that does is it breaks up the invisible rising warm air and makes it difficult to climb and also makes it difficult to go on course because you're constantly getting blown downwind," said Franke.

Several of the 40 competition participants were blown off course.

There was another confirmed crash near Jefferson Road near Sterner Veterinarian Services on the north side of town. That pilot was not hurt.

Others were forced to land in fields miles from the airport.

And these pilots are experienced -- each with a regular pilots license with glider category.

"It's just like a single-engine license. You need a private rating to fly in this contest," explained Franke.

Franke said it is what the pilots love to do. He said the thrill outweighs the inherant risks.

"I fly single-engine airplanes as well but it's nothing like this," said Franke. "You don't get the challenge. You don't get the feel for flying. It's really hard to describe unless you're up there and you experience it for yourself."

Franke holds the U.S. glider flight record: A seven-hour flight from southern California to Idaho.

The FAA is investigating the fatal crash.

Authorities have yet to release the name of the pilot.


IONIA, Mich. (WZZM) -- Sheriff's deputies are on the scene of a deadly glider crash at the Ionia County Airport.

A glider crashed into trees on the east side of the airport property around 3:35 p.m.  Investigators say the pilot was killed in the accident.

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 contest this week.  Pilots tell WZZM 13 News that windy conditions were hampering their ability to fly in the area.

IONIA, Mich. —  The pilot of a glider that crashed at Ionia County Airport at 3:35 p.m. today is deceased, officials said.

The Ionia County Sheriff’s Office is not releasing the name of the pilot, per family notification being made. The pilot was the sole occupant of the aircraft.

The Sheriff's Office is continuing to investigate this incident cooperatively with the Federal Aviation Administration.

In a separate incident, a glider was forced to land near Sterner Veterinary Clinic this afternoon.

No injuries are reported.