Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS N71DA

Summary

On 19 September 2003 at about 22:03 local time, a Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS registered N71DA was involved in an accident near Lone Pine, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 September 2003 at 22:03

Classification

Accident

Location

Lone Pine, California, United States

Nearest airport

Lone Pine Airport (O26)

Coordinates

36.5894, -118.0233

Aircraft

Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS

Registration

N71DA

Category

Glider

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lone Pine → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX03LA291

1 person died.

the pilot's inadequate assembly of the glider and improper preflight inspection, which resulted in an inadvertent deployment of the spoilers. Also causal was the pilot's failure to maintain obstacle clearance. His diverted attention to the control problems presented by the deployed spoilers was a contributing factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The glider collided with power lines shortly after the pilot released from the tow airplane. Prior to departure, the pilot assembled the glider by himself. During the initial climb out, the tow airplane's climb performance was poor, and the tow pilot noticed that the glider's spoilers were in the deployed position. The tow pilot opted to return back to the airport and while in the turn, the glider pilot released from the towline. The glider pilot announced over the radio that he was having problems with the spoilers and planned to attempt to maneuver back to the airport. The glider turned and then continued on a flight path until impacting high-tension power lines. The glider's service manual states that prior to departure the pilot should check the function of the control surfaces, and ensure that the spoilers are operating properly. A post accident examination of the spoiler control rods inside the fuselage revealed that the inboard sections of both control rods were not connected to their corresponding bell crank. The glider is designed in such a way that to assemble the spoilers, the person performing the assembly must access the control rods from the cockpit, by going through the aft bulkhead. While connecting the spoilers, it is not possible to visually assess how to make the assembly. The assembly must be done by feeling the parts and connecting them without any visual reference.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.