Look at the reported winds near the bottom. It was howling here, must have been really bumpy up there.

NTSB Identification: LAX06LA024
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, November 02, 2005 in Sparks, NV
Aircraft: Schleicher ASH 26 E, registration: N26XL
Injuries: 1 Serious.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On November 2, 2005, about 0940 Pacific standard time, a Schleicher Alexander GMBH & Company, ASH 26E (powered glider), N26XL, experienced an in-flight breakup over Sparks, Nevada, during an unknown phase of flight. The glider was destroyed, and the airline transport pilot was seriously injured. The pilot owned and operated the glider. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the ground level impact site, and undetermined conditions existed aloft. The personal flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was in effect. The flight originated from Inyokern, California, about 0645.

Preliminary information received from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) quality assurance personnel indicates that the pilot did not report experiencing any difficulties during the flight. The pilot had been cleared to fly in an airspace block between FL 180 and FL 280. Controllers opined that the pilot's communications sounded "normal" during conversations within minutes of their losing radio and radar contact.

FAA air route traffic control center recorded radar data for the last 8 minutes 13 seconds of recorded flight indicates that at 0932:17 the glider was at a mode C transponder altitude of 20,000 feet. At 0935:42, the glider's altitude had decreased to 18,800 feet, and at 0939:06, it had increased to 20,800 feet.

The last (mode C) radar hit occurred at 0939:30. At this time the glider was located about 0.8 nautical miles (nm) north-northeast (030 degrees, magnetic) of Sparks. One minute later the glider was about 2.2 nm and 032 degrees from Sparks.

The main wreckage was found about 2.6 nm north-northeast of Sparks. The wings and the horizontal stabilizers were not with the main wreckage. They have not, as yet, been located. According to Sparks Police Department personnel, various other components from the glider have been located in the city over an approximate 5-mile-long path.

Several FAA air traffic controllers, based in the Reno/Tahoe International Airport control tower, reported observing a target rapidly descend on their D-BRITE radar. Using binoculars while looking in the same general area, they observed a parachute. The controllers telephoned 911 and advised local authorities of the situation.

The pilot, with his deployed parachute, was located about 1.6 nm and 007 degrees from the main wreckage.

The Reno Airport, elevation 4,415 feet mean sea level, is located about 4.8 nm south of the accident site. At 0956, Reno reported the following weather conditions at the airport: wind from 190 degrees at 29 knots with gusts to 38 knots; 10 miles visibility; few clouds at 10,000 feet and broken clouds at 15,000 and 25,000 feet.

An acquaintance of the pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that, at the time of the accident, he was soaring several miles from the accident site. The acquaintance stated that his friend was engaged in a cross-country wave soaring activity. Lenticular clouds were present in the area.

If it was a wave day he probably got in a rotor. Can you imagine how much those wings would've flexed before they broke. Even worse, the sound of the spar snapping must've been like a howitzer going off.

I'm sure you know that inside mountain wave it's glassy smooth. If not, go down to Minden and get a ride when the wind is strong from the west. It's hard to get the glider to come down!
Jeff

That's something I would love to do. I guess I should know more about mountain wave given that I fly over the Sierras frequently. So it's smooth in the wave huh? Are the rotors lurking just below the wave closer to the terrain that interrupts the airflow?

Z

You don't typically find rotor at 18-20K, it usually tops out at about the terrain height or a little higher. I'm betting that he exceeded the red line trying to penetrate back into the primary after being pushed out of it. He was probably pushing it pretty hard to get to his turnpoint and back to Inyokern before the day was over or the wave pooped out.

He was making a pretty good pace, Inyokern is 268nm from Air Sailing Glider Port in Sparks. When flying cross country in wave you're holding a heading tangent to the wave in order to make progress over the ground. Assuming he entered the primary and left Inyokern at 0715 local he would have had ground speeds of a 110-115 knots or so and that doesn't count his speed component into the wind to stay in the primary. Winds at that altitude could easily be 50kts and probably more like 60 or 70. Then you factor in true airspeed at 20k and extremely cold flight level temps on a composite airframe - he may have just ripped the wings off the plane from excessive speed or had a control surface flutter situation with the same results.

There are lots of debates in the soaring community about true airspeed and where the redline really is at the flight levels in a sailplane. Redline for the Schleicher ASH 26 E is 146kts indicated.

It'll be interesting to hear this fellows story of what really happened.

Doug-

Good Schleicher image. How does one conduct a flight above 18,000 MSL? Are you required to be on an IFR flight plan in a glider?

When soaring the wave cross-country at the flight levels you have to be on an IFR flight plan - the ATC guys usually get a real charge out of it from what I hear. If you're flying in a wave window most of the time you get issued a discreet code by ATC and they just watch out for you. They used to open the window for us for flight without transponders (I've flown to 36k without a transponder in an open wave window) but I think they've changed the rules in recent years.

Strata Rocketeer wrote:I've flown to 36k without a transponder in an open wave window

Gonna' show my soaring ignorance but here goes. How much O2 do you have onboard ? Aren't there other physiological elements at play (besides hypoxia) at that altitude ? How in the world do you dress warm enough ?(I assume there's no heat onboard)

BTW, I'd love to hear ATC say "United 501 heavy, traffic 12 o'clock, flight level 360, a glider"...

Mark

Basically you dress like you would if you were riding a snowmobile. Thermal underwear, a good insulated ski or snowmobile suit (some folks wear USAF artic flight suits), a warm stocking cap and a good pair of gloves. One of the more important aspects is keeping your feet warm - artic felt lined pac boots and electric socks worked pretty good for me. You also get some radiant warmth from the sun through the canopy.

For flights above 30k a diluter/demand oxygen system like the airforce A14A system was the most common when I was flying the wave in the early eighties, and from what I understand it's still very popular today. Standard size O2 bottles for sailplane installation are generally 20 cu. ft. and most of the time we would also fly with a bailout bottle. Wave pilots have similar issues that divers have when ascending and it's a good idea to be on 100% O2 from the time you leave the ground if the wave is really cookin' and you think you might be up to 40k or higher really quick - 1500 fpm climb rates and higher are not uncommon. Above 39k oxygen must be fed under pressure into the lungs in order to maintain proper oxygen uptake into the lungs and prevent pulmonary edema. However, pressure demand regulators are uncommon in sailplanes and require training to use properly. Most flights above 40k are kept to very short durations to prevent partial pressure physiological problems.

The Air Force physiological training course and altitude chamber training is popular with sailplane pilots and a very worthwhile course for any pilot that finds himself above 12,500 ft. msl on occasion. It's a serious course, but it's also a lot of fun.

Flying the wave in sailplanes is the closest thing I ever felt to being an astronaut - an absolutely exhilarating experience that leaves memories of movie like quality.

That is so cool.

I'm glad the pilot survived (pretty much) OK. But I find it interesting that he was wearing a parachute. Usually the only pilots I see doing that are the acro guys. Any of you glider guys wear chutes?
Or am I reading this wrong, maybe the glider had a BRS chute?

Eric

Glider pilots almost always wear chutes, mostly because they're frequently flying in very close proximity to other gliders in thermals and the risk of a mid-air is much higher. Emergency chutes are required if you're racing in a sanctioned soaring competition. Givin a choice I would always wear an emergency chute when flying a glider, especially when wave soaring. Usually when you're perusing the glider classified ads you'll see that the glider is being sold with the chute as part of the package.


Notice the red parachute straps.

Doug,

Nice job on the pictures. You must have a heck of an archive !!!

Mark

Mark,

All of these pictures were found on various soaring websites and from Google image searches. The glider plan drawings came from here:

Alexander Schleicher Sailplanes

This is the sailplane that broke up in flight: ASH 26 E




In case you couldn't tell, I love this sport, and I'd like to get back into it. Anybody interested in becoming a full time well paid crew member?...I'm trying to imagine myself wealthy.