Pzl-Bielsko SZD-59 N59SE
14 September 1998 · Truckee, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 14 September 1998 at about 21:08 local time, a Pzl-Bielsko SZD-59 registered N59SE was involved in an accident near Truckee, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:08
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Truckee, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Truckee-Tahoe (TRK)
- Coordinates
- 39.3294, -120.2390
- Aircraft
- Pzl-Bielsko SZD-59
- Registration
- N59SE
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Truckee → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX98LA293
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient airspeed which resulted in a inadvertent stall/spin.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was approximately 350 feet over the trees and was having trouble gaining lift. He reported that he made a turn, slowed his airspeed to 46 knots, and applied excessive rudder in the turn. The glider entered a spin and subsequently impacted a grove of pine trees that were approximately 70 feet agl. The pilot did not report experiencing any mechanical discrepancies, but stated that he should have monitored his airspeed more carefully and should have been more careful with turn coordination.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Pzl-Bielsko SZD-59 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Oct 1996 | Pzl-Bielsko SZD-59 | Sterling, Colorado, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 24 Aug 1996 | Pzl-Bielsko SZD-59 | Franconia, New Hampshire, United States | - | Minor 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 | - |