The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Orlando, Florida
Location: Groveland, FL
Thermal Research Corporation
Accident Number: ERA21LA156
Date & Time: March 16, 2021, 12:52 Local
Registration: N16MG
Aircraft: SCHEMPP-HIRTH K G MINI-NIMBUS C
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On March 16, 2020, at 1252 eastern daylight time, an experimental Schempp-Hirth K G Mini Nimbus C glider, N16MG, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Groveland, Florida. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The glider was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
A witness described that the glider was taking off from runway 18 under aerotow when the left wing dipped and struck the ground, and the glider began to swerve to the left. The pilot released from the towplane, and the glider departed the left side of the turf runway, crossed over a paved airport road oriented parallel to the runway, and impacted an unoccupied parked pickup truck, located about 500 ft from the north end of runway 18, and about 150 ft left of the runway centerline.
The towplane pilot reported that the takeoff was performed on the east side of runway 18, and that the line up, rope hookup, and rope tensioning were normal. The winds were from the south at 12 to 15 knots. The tow pilot aborted the takeoff after he observed the glider’s release from the tow rope.
Examination of the accident site by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the center of gravity tow hook-equipped glider sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage, which was crushed and separated forward of the pilot’s seat. The right wing sustained leading edge impact damage that extended aft of the wing spar, between 1 and 4 ft outboard of the wing root. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit controls to the control surfaces.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: SCHEMPP-HIRTH K G
Registration: N16MG
Model/Series: MINI-NIMBUS C
Aircraft Category: Glider
Amateur Built: No
Operator:
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: ZPH,90 ft msl
Observation Time: 12:55 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 21 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 28°C /17°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 3600 ft AGL
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 13 knots / , 190°
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.11 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: Groveland, FL
Destination: Groveland, FL
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 28.408868,-81.836989 (est)
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