Phoenix Air U15 N94DK

Summary

On 6 April 2013 at about 19:40 local time, a Phoenix Air U15 registered N94DK, operated by Palmetto Phoenix Associates, LLC, was involved in an accident near Foscoe, North Carolina, 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

6 April 2013 at 19:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Foscoe, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.9694, -81.8186

Aircraft

Phoenix Air U15

Registration

N94DK

Category

Glider

Engines

1

Operator

Palmetto Phoenix Associates, LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ruiral Retreat → Columbia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13CA195

Nobody was injured.

The motorized glider’s encounter with clear air turbulence, which resulted in substantial damage to the empennage.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot of the motorized glider, he was flying at an altitude of 6,000 feet mean sea level (msl) en route to his home airport when he noted an episode of turbulence on the avionics logs for his flight path. He climbed to an altitude of 6,500 feet msl to avoid the turbulence and continued to his destination; however, the glider subsequently encountered severe turbulence that lasted for a few seconds. The pilot reported that during that time he heard a cracking noise in the rear of the glider, which he attributed to a loose quart of oil in the baggage compartment. He continued the flight and landed at his home airport uneventfully. While he was cleaning the glider after the flight, the pilot noted substantial damage to the empennage, which included a 12-inch crack to the composite structure under the right side of the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation before the turbulence encounter; further, he stated that he noted no controllability problems with the glider after the turbulence encounter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.