Schempp Hirth DISCUS CS N7HV
2 August 2009 · Williams, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 2 August 2009 at about 18:39 local time, a Schempp Hirth DISCUS CS registered N7HV, operated by Richard M Parker, was involved in an accident near Williams, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously 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 18:39
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Williams, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Williams Gliderport (CN12)
- Coordinates
- 39.0711, -122.0272
- Aircraft
- Schempp Hirth DISCUS CS
- Registration
- N7HV
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- Richard M Parker
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Glider Tow
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Williams → Williams
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR09LA381
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with terrain after intentionally releasing from the tow plane at a low altitude during the initial climb.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
After taking off, the lead pilot in a dual tow elected to perform a precautionary release as a result of a "slack-line" condition. The trail pilot, realizing that his tow rope was now under the lead pilot's right wing, released his tow rope and immediately turned right. Without sufficient altitude or airspeed to return to the airport, the trail pilot tried to level the glider's wings, but could not before the right wing tip impacted terrain. The glider sustained substantial damage to its right wing and empennage.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schempp Hirth DISCUS accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 2007 | Schempp-Hirth DISCUS-CS | Freehold, New York, United States | Paul F. Quinn | No injuries | - |
| 29 Apr 2006 | Schempp-Hirth DISCUS B | Minden, Nevada, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 2006 | Schempp-Hirth DISCUS-2CT | Julian, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 May 2005 | Schempp-Hirth DISCUS 2B | Peoria, Arizona, United States | John H Weber | No injuries | - |
| 10 Mar 2003 | Schempp-Hirth DISCUS-2B | Clermont, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jun 2017 | Schempp-Hirth DISCUS 2B | Bishop, California, United States | Bay Area Soaring Associates 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 | - |