Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS N47SS

Summary

On 10 August 2002 at about 17:50 local time, a Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS registered N47SS was involved in an accident near Hilltown, Pennsylvania, 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

10 August 2002 at 17:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Hilltown, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Philadelphia Gliderport (0PA0)

Coordinates

40.3292, -75.2500

Aircraft

Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS

Registration

N47SS

Category

Glider

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hilltown → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC02FA159

1 person died.

The pilot's improper pre-flight, and failure to follow procedures in the flight manual to determine that the stabilator was properly connected prior to flight, and which resulted in a loss of control while under tow, and uncontrolled impact with the ground.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The glider was being towed by an airplane for takeoff, when it was observed to bounce hard on the runway twice, then it assumed a steep nose up attitude. The tow rope broke, and the glider impacted the ground in a near vertical descent. The C-hook on the stabilator push rod, was found in front of, and not connected to the roller bearing on the stabilator. The pilot's flight experience was over 3,000 hours with about 84 hours in gliders. He had accumulated 28 hours in the accident glider, including 17 flights. This was the first glider the pilot had operated, that he was required to disassemble for storage and reassemble for flight. Witnesses reported the pilot experienced difficulty with the assembly process. A view window was located on top of the stabilator to check for proper engagement of the C-hook, and the AFTER ASSEMBLY checklist called for it to be used to check for proper assembly. A witness reported the pilot moved the control stick in the cockpit and observed movement of the flight controls, but he was not observed to actually check the view window for proper assembly. A check of another glider of the same make and model found it was possible to lock the stabilator in place on top of the vertical stabilizer, with the C-hook in the same place as found on the accident glider. In this configuration, the control rod that held the C-hook was pressed against the roller bearing and held in place by friction. However, the incorrect assembly was visible through the view window on top of the stabilator, and when the stabilator was held in place, it was still possible to move the cockpit control stick abut 1 inch forward or aft, with no corresponding movement on the stabilator.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.