Schleicher ASW-19B accident near Jacksonville, FL
On April 16, 2022, a Schleicher ASW-19B (glider) was involved in an accident near Jacksonville, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 16, 2022
- Place
- Jacksonville, FL
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW-19B · Glider
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 30.278°N, 81.806°W
- NTSB ID
- 20220416104950
Official records · ERA22FA189
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 16, 2022, about 1315 eastern daylight time, a Schleicher ASW-19B glider, N19KW, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Jacksonville, Florida. The private pilot was fatally injured. The glider was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the tow pilot, shortly after becoming airborne, he observed the glider in his rearview mirror. He stated that the glider climbed above the tow airplane, then descended, then climbed again. As the tow pilot was reaching for his tow release handle to release the glider, he heard the glider pilot say “release” over the radio. The tow pilot immediately entered a right turn at an altitude of about 250 ft above ground level (agl). He could not immediately see the glider; however, a few seconds later, he saw the glider in the trees adjacent to the runway. The pilot of another airplane, who had just released parachute jumpers, was descending through 9,000 ft agl directly over the airport and could see the tow plane and glider taking off. The witness said that when the glider became airborne it pitched up about 30 to 40°, and he could see the entire nose of the glider. He said the glider stalled and nosed over before it entered a secondary stall and pitched up again. He heard the glider pilot on the common traffic advisory frequency yelling at the tow pilot to “take it easy…something is not right,” followed by the sound of the tow “release” mechanism. The glider then made a left “knife-edge” turn about 200 ft agl. The glider continued in a descendin
Probable cause
The pilot’s improper preflight assembly of the glider’s elevator control, which resulted in a loss of control on takeoff, and the pilot’s failure to complete a positive control check before the flight, which would have identified the disconnected elevator control.
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Browse: Florida · Schleicher 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.
