Schempp Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS accident near Groveland, FL
On April 7, 2020, a Schempp Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS (glider) was involved in an accident near Groveland, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 7, 2020
- Place
- Groveland, FL
- Aircraft
- Schempp Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS · Glider
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 28.411°N, 81.835°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200408X72656
Official records · ERA20LA145
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On April 7, 2020, at 1400 eastern daylight time, a Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus glider, N271BL, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Groveland, Florida. The private pilot was fatally injured. The glider was operated as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the tow pilot, it was customary to tow gliders to 2,000 ft above ground level (agl) before tow release. He said that the initial takeoff from runway 36 was "…normal with slight PIOs (pilot-induced oscillations) from the glider but nothing extreme.” About 500 ft above the ground, the aircraft encountered an area of turbulence, and the tow pilot noticed that the glider was low and out of sight in his mirror. At that time, he felt the glider release from tow. The tow pilot did not witness the glider's descent or the accident. He added that at no time did he see the glider’s spoilers deployed. Two witnesses on the ground, who were residents of the gliderport residential community, described watching the glider release from the tow at a "low" altitude and turn to the east. They each described the turn continuing to the south, and then the nose of the glider "point down," before it descended vertically from view. The glider came to rest on the gliderport property behind a residence on the east side of the turf runway. Postaccident examination of the wreckage confirmed flight continuity to all flight control surfaces and revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies. An officer with the parent company of the gliderport was familiar with the glider and said that another
Probable cause
The pilot’s exceedance of the glider’s critical angle of attack following his premature termination of the tow for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin during a turn back to the departure airport.
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Browse: Florida · 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.
