Schweizer 1-35 N2874H
23 June 2004 · Sparks, Nevada, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 23 June 2004 at about 23:45 local time, a Schweizer 1-35 registered N2874H, operated by Michael Spielman, was involved in an accident near Sparks, Nevada, 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 23:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Sparks, Nevada, United States
- Nearest airport
- Air Sailing Gliderport (NV23)
- Coordinates
- 39.8719, -119.7008
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 1-35
- Registration
- N2874H
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- Michael Spielman
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sparks → Sparks
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX04CA246
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
the pilot's misjudgment of altitude and distance resulting in an undershoot of the runway.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The glider landed short of runway and impacted terrain. While turning onto base leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot noticed a significant decrease in ground speed, which he attributed to being the result of a strong headwind. Just before turning onto final approach, about 400 feet agl, the glider experienced an increase in sink rate and a decrease in airspeed (about 5 to 10 knots indicated airspeed). He lowered the nose in an effort to increase the airspeed and counteract the sink, but the glider continued toward the ground. Just before impacting the ground in a nose low attitude, the pilot pulled back on the stick in an effort to pitch the nose up and cushion the impact. The glider collided with terrain in a flat attitude. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions of failures with the aircraft.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schweizer 1 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 2002 | Schweizer 1-26B | New Douglas, Illinois, United States | Silvercreek Glider Club Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 May 1996 | Schweizer 1-24 | Tehachapi, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 1993 | Schweizer 1-35C | Wickenburg, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1992 | Schweizer 1-26E | Ridgeland, South Carolina, United States | Lowcountry Soaring Association | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 May 1992 | Schweizer 1-36 | Hemet, California, United States | Orange County Soaring Assoc | No injuries | - |
| 7 Sep 1992 | Schweizer 1-26D | Blairstown, New Jersey, United States | Ronald Schwartz | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 2004 | Piper PA-38-112 | Jean, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Sep 2004 | Robinson R22 BETA | North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Silver State Helicopter | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Oct 2004 | Ams Flight CARAT A | Minden, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Oct 2004 | Bellanca BL17-30 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Jan 2004 | Piper PA-28-180C | Minden, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 May 2004 | Let BLANIK L-13 | Sparks, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |