Plane Crash List

S A Centrair PEGASE 101D N70LE

28 May 2005 · Williams, California, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 28 May 2005 at about 19:00 local time, a S A Centrair PEGASE 101D registered N70LE was involved in an accident near Williams, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 19:00
Classification
Accident
Location
Williams, California, United States
Nearest airport
Williams Gliderport (CN12)
Coordinates
39.1633, -122.1317
Aircraft
S A Centrair PEGASE 101D
Registration
N70LE
Category
Glider
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Williams → Williams
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
LAX05CA190

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 0 1

Probable cause

loss of thermal lift during flight that resulted in a forced landing in an area without suitable landing terrain. Also causal was the pilot's inadequate compensation for the existing crosswind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The glider made an off-airport landing on a dirt road in crosswind conditions with rising terrain to the right, and ground looped. While soaring, the glider encountered sinking conditions and could not maintain sufficient lift for a landing at the departure gliderport. After determining that he was unlikely to be able to return to the departure airport, the pilot made a forced landing on a fire service road. During the landing rollout, due to a combination of rising terrain and an existing crosswind, the right wing lifted up, and the left wing contacted the ground, and ground looped.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

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All 170,864 records in United States