N797V – SCHLEICHER ASW-27 – 2011-07-19 NTSB Accident Report

On July 19, 2011, a Schleicher ASW-27 (N797V) was involved in an incident near Brigham City, UT. 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: The glider pilot did not take timely action to locate a safe outlanding area after entering an area where atmospheric lift was not sufficient to maintain soaring flight.

While participating in a soaring contest, the glider pilot entered an area where atmospheric lift was not sufficient. Instead of jettisoning the glider's water ballast to reduce its sink rate and reversing his course toward better outlanding fields, he continued on with the contest course and task. He therefore ultimately ended up in a location where he was forced to attempt an off-airport landing on unsuitable terrain. Immediately upon touchdown, the glider encountered several small boulders that were hidden in the grass, and the left wing tip became snagged in some tall grass, resulting in a loss of directional control. During the resulting ground loop, both wings sustained substantial damage and the empennage tail boom separated from the main part of the fuselage.

This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR11CA486. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N797V.