Schweizer SGS 1-34 N7656
12 September 2009 · Lake Elsinore, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 12 September 2009 at about 21:53 local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-34 registered N7656, operated by William R Klesse, was involved in an accident near Lake Elsinore, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 21:53
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lake Elsinore, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Skylark Field Airport (CA89)
- Coordinates
- 33.6300, -117.3017
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-34
- Registration
- N7656
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- William R Klesse
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Lake Elsinore → Lake Elsinore
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR09LA449
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the glider after the tow line released during the initial climb.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Shortly after takeoff, the tow airplane pilot felt slack in the tow line and in response he attempted to slow the airplane. He then felt the airplane surge forward and looked back to observe the glider in a sharp turn. The pilot noted his altitude was between 225 to 250 feet above the ground. Witnesses reported that it appeared that the glider released from the tow airplane, and then veered sharply to the right before it entered into a nose dive and impacted the ground. A Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector established flight control continuity of the glider at the accident site. He also noted that the tow line had broken at the weak link. The weak link is a safety line that is designed to release under sudden or extreme loads to protect/ensure that the airframe of the glider is not damaged. The weak link can break at low altitude, causing an inadvertent release.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schweizer SGS-1 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jul 2009 | Schweizer SGS 1-26A | Lake Riverside, California, United States | Academic Soaring Club Inc | No injuries | - |
| 8 Sep 2010 | Schweizer SGS 1-34R | Hampshire, Illinois, United States | Sky Soaring LLC | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Aug 2010 | Schweizer SGS 1-34 | Groveland, Florida, United States | Seminole Flying & Soaring Inc | No injuries | - |
| 28 May 2010 | Schweizer SGS 1-36 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | Nfss Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 10 Jul 2010 | Schweizer SGS 1-26B | Waynesville, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Dec 2010 | Schweizer SGS 1-23D | Aberdeen, Maryland, United States | Atlantic Soaring Club Inc | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Apr 2009 | Cessna 172P | Livermore, California, United States | Wollard Aviation Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 10 Dec 2009 | Piper PA-38-112 | Ojai, California, United States | Aviation Pacific Inc | Fatal | 2 |
| 28 Feb 2009 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Fallbrook, California, United States | M.Y. Air Corp | No injuries | - |
| 28 Feb 2009 | Mooney M20E | Rio Linda, California, United States | David Michaud | Fatal | 2 |
| 29 Nov 2009 | Curtiss-Wright TRAVEL AIR 4000 | Torrance, California, United States | Smith Richard Charles | No injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 2009 | Piper PA-24-260 | Santa Barbara, California, United States | Kris S Michel | No injuries | - |