Aviation Crash Map

Pzl-Swidnik PW 5 N77FZ

31 May 2014 · Enumclaw, Washington, United States · Minor injuries

Summary

On 31 May 2014 at about 01:00 local time, a Pzl-Swidnik PW 5 registered N77FZ was involved in an accident near Enumclaw, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. 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 01:00
Classification
Accident
Location
Enumclaw, Washington, United States
Nearest airport
Bergseth Field (WN76)
Coordinates
47.1956, -122.0219
Aircraft
Pzl-Swidnik PW 5
Registration
N77FZ
Category
Glider
Year built
1998
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Enumclaw → Enumclaw
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
WPR14CA219

People

1 person had minor injuries.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 1 0

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the glider during the landing flare which resulted in a stall and hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported while entering the airport traffic pattern, the glider encountered additional lift and he was too high for landing. The pilot attempted to descend by deploying the spoilers and performing a couple of 360 degree turns, however the glider did not lose altitude so he initiated a slip to lose the altitude. Just prior to touchdown, as he aligned the glider to runway heading, it stalled and landed hard. During the landing roll, the right wing struck the ground and the glider ground looped. The glider sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and the empennage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Pzl-Swidnik PW-5 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
23 Jun 2018 Pzl-Swidnik PW 5
N123PW
Waller, Texas, United States - No injuries -
26 Apr 2010 Pzl-Swidnik PW-5
N500JN
Marana, Arizona, United States Tucson Soaring Club Inc No injuries -
10 Jun 2019 Pzl-Swidnik PW-5
N962JH
Independence, Wisconsin, United States - No injuries -
4 Mar 2006 Pzl-Swidnik PW-5
N153PS
Hardwick, New Jersey, United States - No injuries -
20 Jun 2005 Pzl Swidnik PW-5
N341PW
Bloomingburg, New York, United States - Minor injuries -
19 Jul 2025 Pzl Swidnik PW-5
N4426Z
Kerrick, Texas, United States - No injuries -

All 8 records for this type

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All 170,864 records in United States