ADELANTO, CA, USA
N6LS
Laister LP-15
THE PILOT ENTERED THE AIRSTRIP TRAFFIC PATTERN AND SET UP FOR A DOWNWIND FINAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 9. THE WINDSOCKS WERE INDICATING A WIND FROM THE WEST AT 10-12 KNOTS AND FAVORED A LANDING TO THE WEST. AN FAA DESIGNATED PILOT EXAMINER FOR GLIDERS WITNESSED THE ACCIDENT AND REPORTED THAT THE SPEED AND ALTITUDE OF THE GLIDER WAS SLOW AND LOW. THE GLIDER BEGAN A BASE-TO-FINAL TURN ABOUT 50-75 FEET AGL AND THE LEFT WING OF THE GLIDER DROPPED. THE EXAMINER SAID THE GLIDER APPEARED TO STALL AND THEN DESCEND TO GROUND IMPACT.
On December 1, 1995, at 1418 hours Pacific standard time, a Laister Sailplane LP-15, N6LS, collided with the ground during the base-to-final turn while landing at Krey Field, Adelanto, California. The glider was operated as a personal flight when the accident occurred. The glider was destroyed and the certificated private pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. Witnesses reported the pilot was towed toward the east to an altitude of 3,000 feet above ground level (agl), and the weather conditions at the time of landing favored a landing to the west. The glider was observed on a downwind leg of the traffic pattern heading west into the wind. An FAA designated pilot examiner for gliders witnessed the accident. The speed and altitude of the glider was reported as slow and low. During the base-to-final turn for runway 09 about 50-75 feet agl, the left wing of the glider was observed to drop. The witness said the glider appeared to stall and then descend to ground impact. Examination of the glider by the airport manager after the accident did not reveal any evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction. The field is equipped with three windsocks. According to witnesses, the windsocks were indicating a wind from the west at 10-12 knots at the time of the accident.
the pilot's selection of the wrong runway for the prevailing wind conditions, and his failure to maintain an adequate airspeed during the base-to-final turn.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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