Schempp-Hirth Duo Discus T accident near New Washoe City, NV
On September 2, 2018, a Schempp-Hirth Duo Discus T (glider) was involved in an accident near New Washoe City, NV. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 2, 2018
- Place
- New Washoe City, NV
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth Duo Discus T · Glider
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.304°N, 119.861°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180902X31909
Official records · WPR18FA247
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 2, 2018, about 1336 Pacific daylight time, a Schempp-Hirth Duo Discus T motorized glider, N22XC, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near New Washoe City, Nevada. The two pilots were fatally injured. The glider was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The flight was part of an informal competition (task), the goal of which was to obtain the shortest flight time between two predetermined locations. Each competitor's flight time would start when their glider flew over runway 2/20 of Truckee-Tahoe Airport (TRK), Truckee, California, and end upon reaching a predefined radius around Marine Corps Mountain War Training Center Heliport (7CL4), Bridgeport, California. There was no specific start time, the gliders departed at staggered intervals throughout the day, and any route could be taken. The pilot of the towplane stated that the accident glider’s takeoff and tow was uneventful, and the glider released after reaching an altitude of 8,000 ft mean sea level (msl), (about 2,000 ft agl) about 3 miles east of TRK over an area known locally as "Hot Rocks." The accident glider and several other gliders flying in the vicinity were equipped with FLARM traffic awareness and collision avoidance systems. This data revealed that, after release, the accident glider began a series of climbing turns over Hot Rocks, reaching an altitude of about 10,500 ft msl. It then proceeded east on a meandering track while performing another series of climbing turns about 3.5 miles west of the summit of Slide Mountain. The la
Probable cause
The pilot’s delayed recovery from an inadvertent spin and/or spiral dive and an exceedance of the glider’s design limit load during recovery, which resulted in an overload failure of both wings.
More accidents in NV
- Cessna 425, Jan 12, 1992
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Browse: Nevada · Schempp-Hirth 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.
