PENSACOLA, FL, USA
N7631
Schweizer SGS 1-34
The pilot stated that the glider was about 100 feet above ground level, and attached to the tow airplane when the canopy suddenly opened. He climbed to 200 feet, released the towrope, and made a 180-degree left turn to return to the airport. As he cleared a wooded area before the runway, he noticed that his sink rate was too high. He pulled up, but his right wingtip brushed the top of a tree. The airplane stalled and crashed about 300 feet short of the runway. According to the pilot, the canopy's latching mechanism did not reveal any malfunctions during preflight or postcrash examination.
On August 1, 1998, about 1315 central daylight time, a Schweizer SGS 1-34 glider, N7631, registered to Coastal Soaring Association Inc, operated as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed while on approach for a forced landing at Coastal Airport, Pensacola, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was substantially damaged, and the pilot sustained no injuries. The flight originated from the same airport about 10 minutes before the accident. The pilot stated that when he was about 100 feet off the ground, the canopy suddenly opened. He had no indication that it would become unlatched. The canopy remained attached to the glider, hanging on the left side of the fuselage. The pilot kept climbing to 200 feet, released the towing latch, and performed a 180 degree turn to the left to return to the airport for landing. When he was approaching the runway, he realized that his sink rate was very high. While pulling up on the stick to try to clear a wooded area before the runway, the right wingtip brushed the top of a tree. The airplane stalled and crash into the ground about 300 feet before the runway. According to the pilot, the canopy's latching mechanism did not reveal any malfunctions during preflight or postcrash examination.
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper sink rate during an emergency landing resulting in impact with trees and subsequent stall and impact with the terrain.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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