Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS-S N9775
25 September 1996 · Wadsworth, Ohio, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 25 September 1996 at about 21:00 local time, a Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS-S registered N9775 was involved in an accident near Wadsworth, Ohio, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Wadsworth, Ohio, United States
- Nearest airport
- Wadsworth Municipal (3G3)
- Coordinates
- 41.0208, -81.7310
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS-S
- Registration
- N9775
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC97LA084
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadvertent activation of the speed brakes while being towed for takeoff. Subsequently, the glider pilot lost sight of the tow airplane due to excessive altitude, released the tow rope, and performed an off airport landing during which the glider collided with a tree.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
This was second flight of the day for the pilot/owner of the glider. The first flight lasted about 5 minutes, because the pilot stated that he could not gain any altitude, and he landed back at the airport. During the second takeoff, the pilot noticed the speed brakes were deployed. When he retracted the speed brakes, the glider 'popped up' higher than the tow plane, and the pilot released the tow rope. The pilot believed that he was too low to make it back to the airport, and went under telephone wires onto a road. The glider then ground-looped, and the left wing trailing edge struck a tree and the glider's tail broke midway down the tail cone. The pilot stated that there was the possibility that he may have bumped the speed brake handle.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Aug 1995 | Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS-B | Peoria, Arizona, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Jun 1999 | Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS | Hartford, Wisconsin, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 1992 | Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS | Bishop, California, United States | Sheldon, David B. | Fatal | 1 |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS | Sealy, Texas, United States | Leslie L. Stoner | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1989 | Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS | Littlefield, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Apr 2003 | Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS | Ephrata, Washington, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Jul 1996 | Cessna 150 | Vincent, Ohio, United States | David & Susan Board | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Jul 1996 | Boeing Stearman E75N1 | Goshen, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 1996 | Cessna 152 | Blue Ash, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jul 1996 | Cessna 172M | Tremont City, Ohio, United States | MAD River Airport, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jul 1996 | Corben Baby Ace C-1 | Portsmouth, Ohio, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1996 | Cessna 150 | Waverly, Ohio, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |