Schleicher ASW19-B N19LK

Summary

On 28 August 1997 at about 19:38 local time, a Schleicher ASW19-B registered N19LK was involved in an accident near Troy, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 August 1997 at 19:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Troy, Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

41.7794, -76.7806

Aircraft

Schleicher ASW19-B

Registration

N19LK

Category

Glider

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elmira → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD97LA114

1 person had minor injuries.

Pilot failed to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The soaring competition began after 3 days of delay due to weather,. The pilot headed southwest towards the first turn point 26 miles away. Once there, he turned east towards the second turn point. About half way to the second turn point, the pilot started losing 'lifting action'. After searching for about a mile and getting low in altitude, the pilot attempted an off field landing. With the wind from the north, the pilot chose a field aligned with the wind. He entered the pattern for an off field landing, during the turn to base leg, he noticed a creek running diagonally across his chosen field and that the up slope to the field was steeper than he expected. With these distractions, the pilot lost track of his airspeed and the glider stalled during the turn from base leg to final. The glider impacted the terrain on the left wing and nose, bounced, and came to rest in the creek in an upright attitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.