Schweizer SGS 1-36 N3616Z

Summary

On 2 November 1996 at about 20:44 local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-36 registered N3616Z, operated by The Cloud Base, was involved in an accident near Boulder, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 November 1996 at 20:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Boulder, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

40.0209, -105.2499

Aircraft

Schweizer SGS 1-36

Registration

N3616Z

Category

Glider

Operator

The Cloud Base

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW97FA033

1 person died.

The pilot exceeding the design stress limits of the aircraft by performing an aerobatic maneuver, resulting in total failure of the wing spar.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

A witness observe the glider to come from behind the mountains in a wings level attitude, traveling in a northeast direction. She said the glider made a complete 360-degree roll to the right about its longitudibal axis. The glider rolled out on a more easterly heading, then began losing altitude in an increasingly nose down attitude and entered either a spin or spiral. She then observed the wings to fail and fold aft along the fuselage. According to NTSB's metallurgist's report, 'all fractures in both wing sections were typical of overstress separations. No evidence of fatigue or other types of preexisting cracking was found.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.