Knell ASC SPIRIT N127JK

Summary

On 22 June 2014 at about 20:30 local time, a Knell ASC SPIRIT registered N127JK was involved in an accident near Lehi, Utah, 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

22 June 2014 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lehi, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Cedar Valley (UT10)

Coordinates

40.2300, -112.0200

Aircraft

Knell ASC SPIRIT

Registration

N127JK

Category

Glider

Year built

2007

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lehi → Lehi

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA263

1 person died.

The pilot’s exceedance of the glider’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering in a steep turn at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot of the experimental, amateur-built glider was conducting a local flight. The tow plane pilot reported that, as the glider pilot approached the privately owned airport, he announced over the radio his intent to land. He and one witness in the area reported seeing the glider circling to land and making several steep turns during the descent. When the glider was about 30 to 40 ft above ground level, the nose suddenly dropped, and the glider then descended straight down into the ground short of the runway. Another witness reported that it looked like the glider had stalled. Wreckage documentation indicated that the glider impacted terrain in a steep, nose-down, left-wing-low attitude with little forward motion, which is consistent with a stall. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot exceeded the glider's critical angle of attack while maneuvering to land, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.