Schweizer SGS 1-34 N1169S

Summary

On 16 March 2003 at about 22:20 local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-34 registered N1169S was involved in an accident near San Diego, California, 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.

Date

16 March 2003 at 22:20

Classification

Accident

Location

San Diego, California, United States

Nearest airport

Torrey Pines Gliderport (CA84)

Coordinates

32.8939, -117.2333

Aircraft

Schweizer SGS 1-34

Registration

N1169S

Category

Glider

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Diego → San Diego

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX03LA133

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's misjudgment of the landing flare and descent rate. A contributing factor was the pilot's misjudged speed and distance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The glider landed hard on a dirt strip, which caused damage to the fuselage, forward bulkhead, and stringers. The gliderport is a publicly owned field situated on top of a mesa along the coastline; the west boundary of the airstrip is a 400-foot sandstone cliff that drops almost vertically to the Pacific ocean. The pilot attempted to land downwind on runway 9 with a 13-knot tailwind. He noted that while turning onto the base leg, his approach was high. To counteract the lift produced by the cliff, he deployed full spoilers. Still high, the pilot put the glider into a slip configuration to lose altitude. The pilot stated that the airspeed was 48 knots. He continued to hold the full spoiler, full slip condition until he felt he had attained the appropriate altitude to make a normal landing. He neutralized the flight controls, and retained full spoiler input. The glider landed hard. The pilot stated that the combination of flying from a lift to a no lift condition, the high downwind ground speed, and the rolling terrain contributed to his misjudging the sink rate, which resulted in a hard landing. The pilot did not report any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider. Winds at the time of the accident were from 230-degrees at 13 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.