ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 263676
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| Date: | Sunday 6 June 2021 |
| Time: | 12:49 |
| Type: | Schweizer SGS 1-35 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N2878H |
| MSN: | 58 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1977 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2152 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Wurtsboro-Sullivan County Airport (N82), Wurtsboro, NY -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Wurtsboro-Sullivan County Airport, NY (N82) |
| Wurtsboro-Sullivan County Airport, NY (N82) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On June 6, 2021, about 1249 eastern daylight time, a Schweizer SGS 1-35 glider, N2878H, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Wurtsboro, New York. The private pilot was fatally injured. The glider was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The accident flight was the pilot’s first flight in the glider make/model, and he indicated to the wing runner that he was “hesitant” about the flight. Witness statements and recorded data indicated that, just after takeoff, the glider released from the tow plane about 170 ft above ground level, while in a 25° right turn over the runway departure end. The glider continued the right turn and stalled about 1.4 seconds later, impacting airport property 13 seconds after the stall. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions.
Toxicology testing revealed the presence of the sedating antihistamine diphenhydramine in cardiac blood and urine, indicating that the pilot had taken some allergy, cold, or sleep-aid medication before the accident. Even considering two-to-three-fold postmortem redistribution of diphenhydramine, the concentration in the pilot’s blood appeared to be at therapeutic levels. Compared to other antihistamines, diphenhydramine causes marked sedation; impaired cognitive and psychomotor performance may also be observed. While the impairing medication diphenhydramine was detected, it is unlikely that the effects from the pilot’s use of diphenhydramine contributed to this accident.
Although the reason for the pilot’s release from tow at low altitude could not be determined, the accident is consistent with his failure to maintain airspeed during the turn back to the runway, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s low-altitude release from tow for reasons that could not be determined, and his subsequent exceedance of the glider’s critical angle of attack while returning to the runway, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
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Sources:
https://midhudsonnews.com/2021/06/06/glider-crashes-at-wurtsboro-airport/
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N2878H
NTSB
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
The NTSB is investigating the June 6 crash of a Schweizer SGS 1-35 glider in Wurtsboro, NY. An NTSB investigator is responding to the scene.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) June 6, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Jun-2021 20:23 | Geno | Added |
| 07-Jun-2021 02:35 | Captain Adam | Updated [Aircraft type, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Embed code] |
| 07-Jun-2021 15:46 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative] |
| 07-Jun-2021 16:10 | Captain Adam | Updated [Narrative] |
| 13-Aug-2022 11:35 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category, Accident report, Photo] |
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