Schleicher ALEXANDER accident near Littlefield, TX
On March 30, 2013, a Schleicher ALEXANDER (glider) was involved in an accident near Littlefield, TX. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- March 30, 2013
- Place
- Littlefield, TX
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ALEXANDER · Glider
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.924°N, 102.387°W
- NTSB ID
- 20130331X01207
Official records · CEN13FA213
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 30, 2013, about 1600 central daylight time, a Schleicher Alexander Ka7 glider, N12053, impacted terrain following an inflight wing separation near the Littlefield Municipal Airport (KLIU), Littlefield, Texas. The commercial pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The glider was destroyed. 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 meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from KLIU about 1545. According to witnesses of the accident, the glider was riding thermals when it appeared to come out of a thermal and execute a tight loop. They heard a loud sound and then saw the glider spinning to the ground. The glider made two rotations when a portion of the right wing separated and fell to the ground. The glider continued the spin into the ground. The tow pilot stated that he towed the glider to an altitude of 2,800 feet above ground level (AGL) and then it released. He flew the tow plane back to the airport and landed about 5 minutes later. He went to join the other witnesses to watch the glider soar. After about 5 minutes, the glider was to the north at about 2,000 feet AGL in a nose low attitude and appeared to be in a spin. The right wing appeared to be broken but not completely separated. During the spin, about half of the right wing separated. The glider made about 4 rotations prior to impacting terrain. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 78, held a commercial pilot certificate for airplane s
Probable cause
The pilot’s improper decision to conduct aerobatic maneuvers in a glider not approved for such maneuvers. Contributing to the accident was the degradation of the adhesive holding the wing together, which should have been detected either during the last annual inspection or preflight inspection.
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Browse: Texas · 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.
