Diamond HK36 accident near Bend, OR

On August 8, 2010, a Diamond HK36 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bend, OR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

August 8, 2010

Place

Bend, OR

Aircraft

Diamond HK36 · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

44.089°N, 121.196°W

NTSB ID

20100808X22231

Official records · WPR10FA388

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 8, 2010, about 0958 Pacific daylight time, a HOAC-Austria (now Diamond) HK-36R Super Dimona motorglider, N40440, serial number 36388, was substantially damaged when it impacted a building at Bend Municipal Airport (BDN), Bend, Oregon. The pilot/owner received fatal injuries. The flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. According to several witnesses, the airplane departed from runway 16, gained a small amount of altitude, and then turned to the left, in an apparent effort to fly the traffic pattern and return for landing. One witness reported that the airplane never reached an altitude higher than approximately 50 feet, and another saw the left wing "dip down" shortly before the impact. The airplane struck an unoccupied factory building situated near the southeast corner of the airport. It came to rest on the ground upright, outside the building, and adjacent to a south-facing wall. The canopy was shattered, but the pilot remained in the cockpit. There was no fire. PERSONNEL INFORMATION According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) information, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane singe engine land, single engine sea, multiengine land, and instrument ratings. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued in June 2009. He reported 5,000 hours of total flight experience on that medical application. Multiple attempts to obtain the pilot's flight records via

Probable cause

An condition, which could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, that prompted the pilot to discontinue the flight. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to attempt to return to the runway instead of landing straight ahead in the field off the runway end.

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.