Schempp-Hirth DISCUS-B N321SB
22 October 1988 · Whitwell, Tennessee, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 22 October 1988 at about 20:30 local time, a Schempp-Hirth DISCUS-B registered N321SB, operated by Steven L. Bair, was involved in an accident near Whitwell, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 20:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Whitwell, Tennessee, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.1993, -85.5093
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth DISCUS-B
- Registration
- N321SB
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- Steven L. Bair
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Gadsden → Gadsden
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL89LA016
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PLT RPRTD THAT THERMAL LIFT DETERIORATED DRG THE RETURN LEG OF A X-COUNTRY FLT & HE ELECTED TO MAKE AN OFF APRT LNDG IN A HAY FIELD. AS HE WAS ON FINAL APCH ON A WESTERLY HDG, HE SAW A PREVIOUSLY UNDETECTED POWER LINE ACROSS THE FIELD, WHICH REQD A RAPID DSCNT (USING SPOILERS) TO AVOID A COLLISION. HOWEVER, DRG THE EVASIVE MANEUVER, THE GLIDER CONTACTED UNEVEN TERRAIN & WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DAMAGED. THE PLT RPRTD THAT THE SUN & TREES OBSCURED THE POWER LINE. ALSO, HE STATED THAT IF THE APCH HAD BEEN TO THE EAST, HE WOULD HAVE SEEN THE POWER LINE IN TIME TO MAKE SMOOTHER ADJUSTMENTS FOR THE SHORT LANDING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schempp-Hirth DISCUS accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Jul 1988 | Schempp-Hirth DISCUS B | Minden, Nevada, United States | Graham S. Thompson | No injuries | - |
| 31 Jul 1991 | Schempp-Hirth DISCUS-B | Medina, Texas, United States | Atsushi Kodama | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Apr 1992 | Schempp-Hirth DISCUS BT | Julian, Pennsylvania, United States | Pioti Turosienski | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 1998 | Schempp-Hirth DISCUS A | Bridgeport, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Nov 1999 | Schempp-Hirth DISCUS A | Palmerton, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 Jan 2001 | Schempp-Hirth DISCUS CS | Wurtsboro, New York, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Jun 1988 | Adams A55S | Collierville, Tennessee, United States | Turnispeed, Micheal R. | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Jul 1988 | Cessna 195A | Memphis, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 1988 | Cessna 172L | Michie, Tennessee, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Jul 1988 | Cessna 152 | Somerville, Tennessee, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 Jul 1988 | Beechcraft V35B | Parson, Tennessee, United States | Hubbs Construction Co. Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 1988 | Schempp-Hirth 2 | Whitwell, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |