DANSVILLE, NY, USA
N827
Schleicher ASW15B
THE PILOT ELECTED TO EXTEND THE DOWNWIND LEG DUE TO POWERED AIRCRAFT TRAFFIC AHEAD ON THE APPROACH. THE POWERED AIRCRAFT SAW THE GLIDER AND DISCONTINUED THE APPROACH, ALLOWING THE GLIDER A CLEAR PATH TO THE RUNWAY. THE GLIDER PILOT ELECTED NOT TO EMPLOY SPOILERS BECAUSE THE DISTANCE TO THE RUNWAY WAS TOO FAR. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT 'WITHIN SECONDS MY ALTITUDE AND SPEED WAS REDUCED.' HE REACTED BY PUSHING FORWARD ON THE CONTROL STICK, TO GAIN SPEED, BUT THE GLIDER DID NOT RESPOND. THE PILOT WROTE HE 'WAS BEING FORCED DOWN FROM ABOVE AT A RAPID RATE' CAUSING HIM TO BELIEVE HE WAS IN A 'VIOLENT' DOWN DRAFT. THE GLIDER STRUCK A TREE WITH THE LEFT WING ABOUT 400 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY.
On September 10, 1994, at 1315 eastern daylight time, a ASW-15 (Glider), N827, registered to and piloted by William L. Christie, sustained substantial damage at Dansville Airport, Dansville, New York. The pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot's statement on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, he elected to extend the downwind leg due to powered aircraft traffic ahead of him on the approach. When the pilot turn from base to final he saw another powered airplane ahead and lower. The powered airplane saw the glider and discontinued his approach. The glider pilot wrote: ...next I looked at approach and decided not to employ spoilers as the distance was too far. Within seconds my altitude an speed was reduced, I reacted by pushing forward on [the] control stick to gain speed. The sailplane did not respond...I was being forced down from above at a rapid rate...I thought [this] was a violent down draft.... The glider struck a tree with the left wing about 400 feet short of runway 30.
THE PILOT ALLOWED THE SPEED OF THE GLIDER TO GET TO LOW ON FINAL APPROACH WHICH RESULTED IN A RAPID DESCENT, SUBSEQUENT UNDERSHOOT OF THE RUNWAY, AND IMPACT WITH A TREE. A FACTOR IN THIS ACCIDENT WAS A DOWNDRAFT CONDITION.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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