Fincastle, VA, USA
N4281B
I.C.A.-Brasov IS-26B2
According to the pilot of the I.C.A.-Brasov glider, he was towed to 4,000 feet and released southwest of the airport for a local flight. After release, the pilot attempted to orient himself geographically, but was unsuccessful. He typically operated north and east of the airport. According to the passenger, the pilot misidentified several landmarks, and the passenger attempted to correct him. The pilot eventually realized that he was no longer able to return to the airport of origin. He selected what he believed to be a suitable landing site, but after he turned onto the base leg of the approach, he saw that the field crop was corn instead of hay. At that point, the pilot was committed to landing, and there was no suitable alternate field within range. The glider settled into the corn, but then dropped suddenly to the ground, which resulted in substantial damage.
According to the pilot of the I.C.A.-Brasov glider, he was towed to 4,000 feet, and released southwest of the airport for a local flight. After release, the pilot attempted to orient himself geographically, but was unsuccessful. He typically operated north and east of the airport. According to the passenger, the pilot misidentified several landmarks, and the passenger attempted to correct him. The pilot eventually realized that he was no longer able to return to the airport of origin. He selected what he believed to be a suitable landing site, but after he turned onto the base leg of the approach, he saw that the field crop was corn instead of hay. At that point, the pilot was committed to landing, and there was no suitable alternate field within range. The glider settled into the corn, but then dropped suddenly to the ground, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported 21 hours of flight experience in gliders, with 15 hours as pilot in command. Subsequent to the accident, the operator provided its pilots with handheld global positioning system (GPS) units, and implemented several changes to its glider pilot initiation program, including identification of landmarks and geographic features, and identification and rating of off-field landing sites.
The pilot's geographic disorientation, which resulted in an off-airport landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's selection of an inadequate landing site.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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