Schleicher ASW N428US

Summary

On 30 May 2018 at about 20:15 local time, a Schleicher ASW registered N428US was involved in an accident near Nephi, Utah, 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.

Date

30 May 2018 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Nephi, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Nephi Muni (U14)

Coordinates

39.7117, -111.8917

Aircraft

Schleicher ASW

Registration

N428US

Category

Glider

Year built

1983

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Nephi → Nephi

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA314

Nobody was injured.

The glider’s encounter with atmospheric conditions where the lift was not sufficient to maintain flight, which resulted in a hard off-airport landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The glider pilot reported that, while en route on a local flight, the "lift died," and he decided to return to the departure airport. He was about 3 to 4 miles from the airport when the glider experienced a "moderate to severe sink," and he decided to set up to land in a nearby field. He added that, about 200 ft above the ground, the glider encountered a strong updraft that lasted between 15 and 30 seconds, and "even with full spoilers, it was obvious [he] would not be able to land." He stowed the spoilers, pitched up slightly, and focused on another landing site. The pilot further reported that, during touchdown at the alternate landing site, he noticed there were "sprinkler pipes and wheels." He added, "it looked like [he] would still hit the sprinkler pipes," so to avoid the industrial farm sprinklers ahead, the pilot abruptly pitched the nose down and landed hard on the field. The glider sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.