As+ Ltd AC 4 accident near Blair, NE

On May 13, 2017, an As+ Ltd AC 4 (glider) was involved in an accident near Blair, NE. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

May 13, 2017

Place

Blair, NE

Aircraft

As+ Ltd AC 4 · Glider

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

41.415°N, 96.109°W

NTSB ID

20170514X13152

Official records · CEN17LA181

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

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 13, 2017, about 1520 central daylight time, an experimental AS+ LTD AC 4 glider, N358R, impacted terrain after the canopy opened during takeoff at Blair Municipal Airport (BTA), Blair, Nebraska. The private pilot received fatal injuries, and the glider sustained substantial damage. The glider was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the scene of the accident, the pilot belonged to the Omaha Soaring Club, and the club conducted its glider operations from a 2,000-ft-long grass strip that was parallel to paved runway 13 at BTA. On the day of the accident, the club was launching gliders from the northwest end of the grass strip. Club members positioned the accident glider on the grass strip, and ground crew connected and tested the towline release mechanism, which functioned normally. The towline was reconnected, and the ground crew signaled to the towplane that the glider was ready for takeoff. The pilot of the club's Piper PA-28-235 towplane stated that he observed the glider pilot perform a portion of the preflight inspection of the glider and that the glider pilot was very thorough with his preflight inspection. The towplane pilot further stated that the glider was just getting airborne when he felt two consecutive big

Probable cause

The pilot's loss of control due to his diverted attention as he attempted to close the canopy that opened during initial climb.

More accidents in NE

• Piper PA-32R-300, Oct 16, 1993
• Piper PA-31, Apr 14, 1986
• Raytheon Aircraft Company 58, Jan 11, 2013
• Cessna 210H, Jan 19, 1986
• Beech C35, Jun 17, 1984

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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.