Schleicher ASK-21 N361KS
10 May 2008 · Tehachapi, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 10 May 2008 at about 22:40 local time, a Schleicher ASK-21 registered N361KS, operated by Skylark North, was involved in an accident near Tehachapi, California, United States. 2 people were 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 22:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Tehachapi, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Mountain Valley Airport (L94)
- Coordinates
- 35.1014, -118.4272
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASK-21
- Registration
- N361KS
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- Skylark North
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Tehachapi → Tehachapi
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA08CA129
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate preflight procedures and failure to check the spoiler control position, which resulted in the inadvertent deployment of the spoilers during takeoff. A contributing factor was the pilot's misinterpretation of the tow pilot's instructions.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The glider was being towed to altitude by a tow airplane. During the takeoff initial climb, the spoiler handle was not locked and the spoilers momentarily extended twice and although the pilot felt that he had to input forward control forces, he did not visually check the position of the spoiler control handle. The tow pilot then gave a rudder wave signal to the pilot telling him to check the spoilers; however, because the spoilers appeared retracted when the pilot verified their position, the glider pilot misinterpreted the tow pilot and released the glider from the tow airplane at approximately 100 feet above ground level. The glider pilot force-landed the glider in a field. During the landing, the empennage broke from the remainder of the glider. The glider pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the glider.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schleicher ASK-21 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Jul 2008 | Schleicher ASK-21 | Elmira, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 2007 | Schleicher ASK-21 | Clear, Alaska, United States | Civil Air Patrol Inc | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 2009 | Schleicher ASK-21 | Jean, Nevada, United States | John M Henderson | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Jun 2004 | Schleicher ASK-21 | Warren, Vermont, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 2014 | Schleicher ASK 21 | Wurtsboro, New York, United States | Waco Transport Business Trust | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Aug 2001 | Schleicher ASK-21 | Eagleville, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Apr 2008 | Cessna 172S | San Luis Obispo, California, United States | Pacific Aerocademy | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 2008 | Cessna TU206G | Groveland, California, United States | Charles D Hartwell | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 2008 | Piper PA 28-180 | Sonoma, California, United States | Timothy Bennett | No injuries | - |
| 6 May 2008 | Cessna 152 | Redding, California, United States | Kenneth A Tyler | No injuries | - |
| 17 Dec 2008 | Kaman K-1200 | Santa Clarita, California, United States | Superior Leasing LLC | Fatal | - |
| 26 Jul 2008 | Ercoupe 415-C | Corona, California, United States | Herbert Guiness | No injuries | - |