Bolkow PHOEBUS accident near Alvord Desert, OR

On July 17, 2019, a Bolkow PHOEBUS (glider) was involved in an accident near Alvord Desert, OR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

July 17, 2019

Place

Alvord Desert, OR

Aircraft

Bolkow PHOEBUS · Glider

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

42.535°N, 118.456°W

NTSB ID

20190718X24132

Official records · WPR19LA191

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

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 17, 2019, about 1225 Pacific daylight time, a Bolkow Phoebus B-1 glider, N112AJ, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in the Alvord Desert, Oregon. The pilot was fatally injured. The glider was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The flight was taking part in an annual soaring club event. The glider was launched using the ground launch, automobile tow method in which the glider is connected to a vehicle by a towline that is also fitted with a small parachute which is used to help find the end of the towline after the pilot disconnects in flight. The tow vehicle’s acceleration causes the glider to gain speed and begin a climb. The crew onboard the tow vehicle consisted of a driver and spotter. Upon arrival to the accident site, local law enforcement personnel interviewed several witnesses. One witness who did not observe the takeoff but witnessed the crash, reported that the weather conditions consisted of sunny, partly cloudy skies with 5 mph wind. He stated that the gliders are launched from the ground using a tow vehicle and about 4,000 ft of towline. He further stated that the gliders typically lift off when the tow vehicle reaches 38 mph (the gliders stall speed) and typically the tow vehicle will achieve 60-65 mph before the pilot releases the towline. The tow vehicle driver indicated that they had only accelerated to 55 mph before the spotter told her to stop as the glider impacted the terrain. The spotter stated that the glider was about 1 mile behind th

Probable cause

Pilot’s failure to properly respond to a slack towline during takeoff, which resulted in a loss of control of the glider.

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• Cessna 172, Jun 23, 2012

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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.