N439AS – Schleicher ASW-19B – 2006-03-18 NTSB Accident Report

On March 18, 2006, a Schleicher ASW-19B (N439AS) was involved in an incident near Blairstown, NJ. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: A loss of lift, which resulted in a forced landing.

After about 1.5 hours of ridgeline flying, and during the outbound leg from the departure airport, the glider approached a valley. According to the pilot, "the ridge lift in this area dissipated rapidly due to a shift in wind direction." Due to the loss in lift, the pilot circled over a field and set up a downwind, base, and final approach for a landing. While on the "short final" leg of the approach, the pilot noticed an obstacle, elected to climb over it, and to land as quickly as possible on the opposite side. During the rollout, the pilot attempted to maneuver the glider between two trees; however, both wingtips impacted the trees, and the glider was substantially damaged.

This incident is documented in NTSB report NYC06CA083. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N439AS.