Pilot Debrief

DOKTOR FIBERGLAS H101 SALTO near Peoria, AZ — 2011-04-24

Final reportWPR11CA208
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Date
2011-04-24
Location
Peoria, AZ, USA
Airport
P48
Aircraft
DOKTOR FIBERGLAS H101 SALTO
Registration
N110AZ
Category
Glider
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

The glider's encounter with turbulence and loss of lift, which resulted in a ditching in a lake.

NTSB narrative

The local soaring flight departed via air-tow. Upon entering two back-to-back thermals, the glider climbed to an altitude of 9,000 feet mean sea level. The pilot maneuvered the glider toward marker clouds for additional thermaling; however, he encountered what he described as severe turbulence and decided to head back to the airport. Just abeam the northwest end of a lake near the airport, the glider encountered turbulence along with a high sink rate. The pilot reported the sink rate to be from 500 to 800 feet per minute (fpm), with extremes up to 1,200 fpm to 1,500 fpm. The pilot attempted to maneuver the glider to minimize its time in the sink condition. He realized that he was not going to make it back to the airport and started to look for a place to land. Due to busy roads and full parking lots, he chose to land along the shoreline of the lake. The glider touched down about 30 yards from the shore. The pilot stated that, in retrospect, he believes that the glider was caught on the leeward side of a ridge or the downdraft of a wave. He reported no mechanical anomalies with the glider prior to the accident. The right side of the tail separated from the glider during the ditching and damage occurred to the spoilers and ailerons.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen to land earlier before encountering severe turbulence.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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