N6388V

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 17, 2012, about 1655 central daylight time, an IAR Brasov model IS-28B2 glider, N6388V, impacted terrain after a loss of control while maneuvering near the GHSA-Wallis Gliderport (TE71), Wallis, Texas. The pilot, an adult non-pilot passenger, and a lap child were fatally injured. The glider was substantially damaged. The glider was registered to and operated by Greater Houston Soaring Association under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. At the time of the accident the glider was departing from TE71 for the local flight.

Prior to launch, the pilot installed the tail dolly on the glider, and the ground crew assisted him to pull it up close to the normal launch position at about mid-field. The pilot then assisted the passenger and the lap child into the glider. After the adult passenger was seated in the front seat the lap child was then placed, forward facing, on the lap of the passenger. The lap belt was secured across the lap of the lap child, and the shoulder straps were placed over the shoulders of both persons. The pilot, standing next to the front cockpit seat, assisted them in securing their seatbelts and shoulder straps and appeared to take great care to ensure everything was properly latched and snug. Then the pilot got in the rear seat and he secured his own lap belt and shoulder straps without assistance.

After a normal hook up on the ground, the tow pilot got a "tail waggle" from the glider and he started a normal takeoff to the south on runway 18. As the take-off roll began several persons noticed that the tail dolly was attached to the glider and a radio call was made to "abort … abort … abort". The take-off continued and several witnesses observed a normal lift off by both the tow plane and the glider. The tow pilot reported he had lifted off at 65 mph and was about 25 feet above ground level (agl) when he heard a radio call to abort. When he was about 50 feet agl and about over the south end of the runway his tow plane was beginning to be pulled into a 10 to 15 degree nose down attitude. As the tow pilot was reaching to pull the towline release he could feel that the rope had already released and the nose of the tow plane then "whipped" up and to the left.

Several witnesses reported that during the launch they saw the glider suddenly pitch nose up and climb to the right. One witness estimated the glider was about 75 feet agl when the tow plane banked sharply to the left and he saw the glider "rocket up" behind the tow plane as if it were on a winch style launch. He estimated that the glider was climbing at a 45 degree slope. The glider turned to the right and continued to climb steeply until it was about 150 to 200 feet agl. The glider then began what appeared to be a controlled turn to the left with nose level. At around 45 to 90 degrees into the 180 degrees needed to return to the field, witnesses saw the glider suddenly pitch nose down and descend. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 68, held an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commercial pilot certificate with a rating for glider only, which was issued on November 1, 1987. He also held an FAA flight instructor certificate – glider only which was initially issued on June 1, 1991. His most recent renewal issuance of that flight instructor certificate was on March 21, 2011.

Based on a review of portions of the pilot's glider logbook number four, estimates from family members and friends, and FAA registry records; the pilot's flight experience in all aircraft was estimated as a total of 775 hours. Records showed that 15 of those hours were as a pilot in single engine airplanes and a total of 760 of those hours were in gliders. His experience as a flight instructor was estimated as a total of 390 hours. A logbook entry in June, 2010 showed that he then had logged 1,593 flights in gliders. An endorsement in the pilot's logbook showed a flight review was completed on March 25, 2012. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe model IS-28B glider, serial number 364, was manufactured by IAR Brasov in 1999, and had been registered to the owner since 2000. It was a 2-place all-metal glider of conventional design with a T-tail, tandem landing gear with a retractable main wheel, flaps, TOST style release mechanisms, and spoilers which were mounted on the top and bottom of both wings.

The cockpit was equipped with tandem pilot seats in front and rear. Each of the seats was fitted with 4-point restraint systems which had a two strap lap belt and a two strap shoulder harness system which fastened to the buckle at the center of the lap belt.

The glider was also equipped with a removable tail dolly, intended for ground handling use. The hinged cuff, of composite material was painted red and had a fully swiveling wheel on the bottom. The tail dolly, which weighed about 11 pounds, could be clamped onto the rear of the empennage just forward of the bottom leading edge of the vertical fin.

A review of the original maintenance records showed that the glider had its first flight in 1999, and had been registered to the current owner since 2000. Maintenance record entries showed that an annual inspection was completed on February 22, 2012, at an aircraft total time of 1,156 hours and 20 minutes; and then had a total of 2,465 flights since new. The operator estimated that the glider had been operated for about 22 hours since the annual inspection. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe closest official weather reporting station was at Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR), Sugar Land, Texas, located 19 miles east from the accident location, At 1653, the automated weather observation station at SGR reported wind from 120 degrees at 6 knots; broken clouds at 7,000 feet, temperature 31 degrees Celsius (C), dew point temperature 19 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.88 inches of Mercury. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe model IS-28B glider, serial number 364, was manufactured by IAR Brasov in 1999, and had been registered to the owner since 2000. It was a 2-place all-metal glider of conventional design with a T-tail, tandem landing gear with a retractable main wheel, flaps, TOST style release mechanisms, and spoilers which were mounted on the top and bottom of both wings.

The cockpit was equipped with tandem pilot seats in front and rear. Each of the seats was fitted with 4-point restraint systems which had a two strap lap belt and a two strap shoulder harness system which fastened to the buckle at the center of the lap belt.

The glider was also equipped with a removable tail dolly, intended for ground handling use. The hinged cuff, of composite material was painted red and had a fully swiveling wheel on the bottom. The tail dolly, which weighed about 11 pounds, could be clamped onto the rear of the empennage just forward of the bottom leading edge of the vertical fin.

A review of the original maintenance records showed that the glider had its first flight in 1999, and had been registered to the current owner since 2000. Maintenance record entries showed that an annual inspection was completed on February 22, 2012, at an aircraft total time of 1,156 hours and 20 minutes; and then had a total of 2,465 flights since new. The operator estimated that the glider had been operated for about 22 hours since the annual inspection. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe impact location was about 3,500 feet south of the take-off position at TE71, and about 400 feet west of the extended runway centerline. The glider came to rest upright in a slightly nose down attitude in 3-foot tall cotton in a flat farm field. A ground impact crater corresponding to the nose impact was found under the nose of the glider.

The nose and front cockpit section showed impact crushing damage and were bent slightly to the right and bent up about 45 degrees from the horizontal. The aft fuselage and empennage were oriented to about 160 degrees. There was a ground impact mark oriented to about 230 degrees which corresponded to the leading edge impact damage on the right wing which was oriented to about 260 degrees from the fuselage.

The outer portion of the left wing was bent aft about 40 from left wing. The leading edges of both wings had impact crushing damage of about 30 to 40 degrees from the horizontal. The landing gear was fully extended. Both flaps were in the Flaps 1 position. All four spoilers were fully extended.

A red tail dolly remained attached to the rear of the empennage. The empennage was intact and showed little damage. The tail surfaces showed little damage except for scorpion tail bending damage which was observed at the lower forward portion of the vertical fin.

Except for impact separation damage, control continuity was mostly confirmed for the ailerons, rudder, flaps, spoilers, and trim control. Flight control continuity could not be confirmed to the front cockpit because of impact damage. The wing to fuselage junction bolt was observed normally connected. All L'Hoteiller connections were observed normally connected. Both flight control sticks were impact separated at the bottom of the stick.

The glass was shattered in the front cockpit airspeed indicator and the needle was missing. The needle in the rear cockpit airspeed indicator was observed at 100 knots. Postaccident testing of the airspeed indicators was not possible because of extensive impact damage. The Kollsman window on both altimeters was observed set to 29.92. The variometer in the rear cockpit indicated a plus 2.5. The G-meter in the front cockpit indicated 0 G positive and minus 2 G.

In the front cockpit, the 4-point restraint system buckle assembly was observed still connected. Both lap belt attach fittings were observed impact separated from their attach points. Both shoulder harness belts were intact and the attach fittings were still connected the cross frame, however the cross frame was complet...