Monday, July 13, 2020

Schleicher ASW 27-18, N167TM: Fatal accident occurred July 11, 2020 in Ely, White Pine County, Nevada

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. 

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Reno, Nevada


Location: Ely, NV
Accident Number:WPR20LA216 
Date & Time: 07/11/2020, 1500 PDT
Registration: N167TM
Aircraft: Schleicher ASW27
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

On July 11, 2020, at 1500 Pacific daylight time, an Alexander Schleicher ASW 27-18 glider, N167TM, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Ely, Nevada. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.

According to the tow pilot, after takeoff at 1119, he released the accident glider at an altitude of 7,800 ft mean sea level (msl) about 2 miles south of Ely Airport (ELY). About 10 minutes later he heard radio traffic that the accident pilot was climbing to 9,000 ft msl. The tow pilot stated that about 1540 he heard that a glider was down, and between 1600 to 1645 he flew over the wreckage, which was located on top of the Schell Creek Mountain, located about 5 nautical miles east of ELY.

An initial assessment of the accident site by local law enforcement personnel revealed that the glider had impacted terrain on the leeward side of the mountain at about the 8,800 ft level. Initial impact was with the right wing tip on a northeasterly heading. All components necessary for flight appeared to have been accounted for at the accident site.

The wreckage will be recovered to a secured storage facility for further examination.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Schleicher
Registration: N167TM
Model/Series: ASW27 18
Aircraft Category: Glider
Amateur Built:No 
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site:
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KELY, 6262 ft msl
Observation Time: 1453 PDT
Distance from Accident Site: 5 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 33°C / 1°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 14 knots / 27 knots, 210°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility:  10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.25 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Ely, NV (ELY)
Destination: Ely, NV (ELY)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries:N/A 
Aircraft Fire:None 
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 39.297500, -114.748056 (est)

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov.
WHITE PINE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
JULY 11th, 2020
REPORT OF A DEATH

The reporting party discovered the wreckage of a glider in a remote area, with one decedent, The remains were removed and later transported to the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner for identification.

5 comments:

  1. Hi, please send me more information about the crash , I'v read to you week ago, from Poland, Senior Pilot Club, Roman Antonowicz. My emai anroman@poczta,onet.pl
    best regards
    Roman

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Preliminary report: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20200711X31628&AKey=1&RType=HTML&IType=LA

      Delete
    2. Pilotowal Marek Malolepszy inzynier Gulfstream Corp., pilot LOT-u na emeryturze, zamieszkaly w okolicach Glendale w poludniowej Kalifornii, entuzjasta lotnictwa i posiadacz rekordu szybkosci przelotu szybowcem wlasnie w Ely, Newada w 2015 albo 2017 roku. Pozdrowienia!!!

      Delete
  2. It was a long flight, takeoff at 1119 and down at about 1540. Nothing much in the report to understand what went wrong. "All components necessary for flight appeared to have been accounted for at the accident site" suggests no in-flight breakup. RIP pilot...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Marek was extremely experienced pilot, he knew area very well, reported wind was from South-West 14 knots / gusting 27 knots, 210°, very gusty 27 knots, turbulent conditions. Crush spot looks as lee side very close to top of the ridge, just 20 meters below high spot an ridge. It is possible that wind was much stronger at ridge elevation and gust hit glider from behind causing loss of airspeed and altitude. Crash location I calculated using latitude and longitude published in NTSB report. Andre.

    ReplyDelete