Glasflugel STANDARD LIBELLE accident near Wellington, CO
On March 20, 2011, a Glasflugel STANDARD LIBELLE (glider) was involved in an accident near Wellington, CO. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- March 20, 2011
- Place
- Wellington, CO
- Aircraft
- Glasflugel STANDARD LIBELLE · Glider
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 40.805°N, 104.985°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110322X91500
Official records · CEN11LA239
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Miscellaneous - Record Of Communication: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 20, 2011, about 1415 mountain daylight time, a Glasflugel Standard Libelle glider, N99AE, impacted terrain near Wellington, Colorado. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The glider sustained substantial wing damaged. The glider was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual flight rules (VFR) conditions prevailed for the flight, which did not operate on a VFR flight plan. The local flight originated from the Owl Canyon Gliderport, near Wellington, Colorado, about 1406. A witness at the gliderport saw the glider towed to pattern altitude and saw the glider release the tow. The witness saw the glider maneuver in steep bank turns and it descended during those turns. At one point, the glider was observed to enter a rapid "zoom" climb, followed by a brief period of inverted flight before descending, wings level, about 60 degrees pitch down, into terrain. The Larimer County Sheriff’s office received 9-1-1 calls in reference to the glider and found the glider in the area of 16100 North County Road 7. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The 82-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine, instrument, lighter-than-air balloon, and glider ratings. The pilot also held a certified flight instructor certificate with airplane single-engine and glider ratings. Records obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed that pilot's most recent application for a third-class medical was dated June13, 2010. On
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of glider control due to impairment or incapacitation caused by an episode of ventricular tachycardia.
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Browse: Colorado
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
