ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 235985
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| Date: | Monday 11 May 2020 |
| Time: | 15:00 LT |
| Type: |  Schempp-Hirth Ventus 2cT |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N514TW |
| MSN: | 191 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2007 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2150 hours |
| Engine model: | SOLO 2350 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Stuarts Draft, Augusta County, VA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Amelia Court House, VA |
| Amelia Court House, VA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
After departing on a local flight, the pilot of the motor glider crossed a ridge line into a valley at an altitude of about 8,000 ft mean sea level, and then glided to the south in search of lift, but was unsuccessful. He decided to land on a brown, flat, field that appeared to be recently tilled. The pilot set up for a landing, and then deployed the glider's sustainer engine. The engine did not start, so he continued his approach to land. During the landing, the right wing struck the ground, the glider ground looped, and was substantially damaged. The flight manual for the sustainer engine advised that, the sustainer engine should only be extended and started when there was suitable terrain for landing within gliding distance, and furthermore, below 984 ft above ground level, starting attempts were to be avoided "so as to have a safe height left for planning the approach pattern should the engine fail to run!" The pilot stated that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure with the glider, and that he would recommend trying to start the sustainer engine at a higher altitude.
Probable Cause: A loss of thermal lift during a motor glider flight, which resulted in an off-airport landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's delayed attempted engine start.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ERA20CA178
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 15 June 2010 | N514TW | Welles Gillett Tim | 0 | 75NM NE of Parowan - K1L9, UT | |
min |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-May-2020 10:16 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 26-Mar-2021 13:55 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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