Schleicher ASW-20 accident near Lone Pine, CA
On July 2, 2011, a Schleicher ASW-20 (glider) was involved in an accident near Lone Pine, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 2, 2011
- Place
- Lone Pine, CA
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW-20 · Glider
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.484°N, 118.094°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110703X04725
Official records · WPR11FA302
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 2, 2011, at 1219 Pacific daylight time, a Schleicher ASW-20, N838KS, collided with mountainous terrain 7.6 miles south-southwest of Lone Pine Airport, Lone Pine, California. The experimental category glider was operated by the owner under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the glider was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight plan had not been filed. The flight originated at Inyokern Airport, Inyokern, California, at 1109. The glider was towed airborne at 1109 from Inyokern Airport. Colleagues of the pilot stated that his intentions were to fly along the mountains of the eastern side of the Sequoia National Forrest. The glider wreckage was located along Horseshoe Meadows Road at 7,478-foot mean sea level (msl), on the eastern slope of the Sequoia National Forrest mountain range. The entire glider was in the immediate vicinity of the crash site. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 56, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and glider, issued April 4, 2004, and a third-class airman medical certificate issued February 10, 2010, with the limitation that he wear lenses that correct for distant vision and possess glass that correct for near vision. Examination of the pilot’s logbook revealed that he had accumulated 339 hours of total flight time, 224 hours in gliders, and 144 hours in the accident glider make and model. His most recent flight review was performed on February 6, 2011, in a Grob 10
Probable cause
The glider encountered a strong downward orographic wind flow and turbulence that forced it into terrain. Also causal was the pilot’s decision to operate the glider very close to the terrain.
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Browse: California · Schleicher aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
