Pzl-Bielsko SZD 50-3 N7215L
17 July 1998 · California City, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 17 July 1998 at about 22:07 local time, a Pzl-Bielsko SZD 50-3 registered N7215L was involved in an accident near California City, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:07
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- California City, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.1495, -117.9191
- Aircraft
- Pzl-Bielsko SZD 50-3
- Registration
- N7215L
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- California City → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX98FA235
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The failure of the first and/or second pilot to obtain and maintain control of the aircraft after stalling and entering a spin.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The purpose of the flight was to familiarize the second pilot with a new type of glider that he had not previously flown. The first pilot was authorized to perform checkouts for the private flying club. The tow plane released the glider about 2 miles from the departure airport at 2,000 feet agl. The pilot of another glider reported that his attention was attracted to the accident aircraft about 15 minutes later, when the glider was about 4 miles distant, by the sun glistening off the wings as the aircraft spun in a nose low attitude. It completed approximately three turns before impacting the ground. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of the aircraft.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Pzl-Bielsko SZD-50 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 May 2003 | Pzl-Bielsko SZD-50-3 | Minden, Nevada, United States | High Country Soaring | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 1998 | Cessna 152 | Avalon, California, United States | Orange County Flight Center | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Oct 1998 | Grumman TS-2A | Banning, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Aug 1998 | North American NAVION | Salinas, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 21 Aug 1998 | Bell 206B | Salinas, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 1998 | Robinson R22B | Ramona, California, United States | Civic Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 1998 | Aerospatiale SA316B | Porterville, California, United States | U.s. Dept. of the Interior | No injuries | - |