Knell ASC SPIRIT accident near Lehi, UT
On June 22, 2014, a Knell ASC SPIRIT (glider) was involved in an accident near Lehi, UT. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 22, 2014
- Place
- Lehi, UT
- Aircraft
- Knell ASC SPIRIT · Glider
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 40.230°N, 112.020°W
- NTSB ID
- 20140623X11029
Official records · WPR14LA263
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 22, 2014, about 1430 mountain daylight time, an experimental amateur-built, ASC Spirit Glider, N127JK, impacted terrain about one-half mile southeast of the Cedar Valley Airport (UT10), 10 miles west of Lehi, Utah. The glider was owned and being operated by the pilot/builder as a visual flight rules personal local flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The solo pilot received fatal injuries. The glider departed UT10, about 1350. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on June 23, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air safety inspector who visited the accident site, said witnesses reported that the glider was circling to land on runway 35. During the descent, the pilot made several steep turns. When the airplane was about 30 to 40 ft above the ground, the right wing dropped and the glider suddenly nosed into the ground short of the runway. A witness who was the tow-plane pilot, reported that he towed the glider to about 7,500 ft. (mean sea level) where the pilot released from the tow. The tow pilot then landed back at the airfield and met with another glider pilot he was preparing to tow. The witness added that the accident glider made several circles southeast of the airport and then announced over the radio that he was setting up to land on runway 35. He reported that it appeared the accident glider was coming in too steep. He added that he watched as the glider's turns continued to s
Probable cause
The pilot’s exceedance of the glider’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering in a steep turn at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
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Browse: Utah
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
