Alexander Schleicher Gmbh & K 7 N9156

Summary

On 6 July 2014 at about 17:00 local time, a Alexander Schleicher Gmbh & K 7 registered N9156, operated by Piedmont Soaring Society, was involved in an accident near Mocksville, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were 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.

Date

6 July 2014 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mocksville, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Bahnson (43NC)

Coordinates

35.9305, -80.4001

Aircraft

Alexander Schleicher Gmbh & K 7

Registration

N9156

Category

Glider

Year built

1962

Operator

Piedmont Soaring Society

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mocksville → Mocksville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14CA335

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's decision to install an additional cushion to elevate his passenger and his failure to insure the cushion would not interfere with the control stick movement resulting in limited movement of the elevator in flight and collision with a fence during an emergency off field landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that just prior to departing on the glider flight, an unsecured seat cushion was provided to his passenger in order to elevate his seating position and improve his view. After releasing from the tow plane, performing a 30-degree bank turn, and leveling the glider, the pilot was unable to move the control stick fully aft in the pitch axis. He attempted to troubleshoot the blocked flight control, and asked the passenger if he noted any obstructions, which he did not. During the subsequent forced landing, the pilot was unable to safely maneuver to the departure gliderport, and landed in an adjacent field where the glider struck a fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that his examination of the aft cockpit following the accident revealed the seat cushion had shifted during flight, blocked the control stick, and that the cushion's internal metal frame and the aft control stick displayed witness marks consistent with contact during flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.