Jonker Sailplanes (Pty) JS1-C N60XJ

Summary

On 13 July 2014 at about 18:30 local time, a Jonker Sailplanes (Pty) JS1-C registered N60XJ was involved in an accident near Wallis, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 July 2014 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Wallis, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Wallis Glideport (TE71)

Coordinates

29.6292, -96.0596

Aircraft

Jonker Sailplanes (Pty) JS1-C

Registration

N60XJ

Category

Glider

Year built

2013

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wallis → Wallis

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14LA372

1 person died.

The pilot’s loss of glider control and its subsequent impact with terrain for reasons that could not be determined due to a lack of available information.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

About 30 minutes after takeoff, witnesses informed pilots at the departure airport that they heard a high-pitched sound followed by the sound of an impact. The glider was subsequently located in an open field about 1 1/2 miles from the airport. There were no eyewitnesses to the accident. A postaccident examination of the glider did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. Local weather conditions about the time of the accident were favorable for a glider flight. The pilot did not hold a current Federal Aviation Administration airman medical certificate nor was one required for glider operations. A friend of the pilot reported that the pilot had suffered a stroke about 10 years before the accident. Further, toxicological testing detected several medications commonly used to treat conditions that could be impairing as well as two medications that might also cause impairment. However, the available information was insufficient to determine whether the pilot was impaired by a medical condition or the use of a medication at the time of the accident. In addition, although ethanol was detected in the pilot's liver, it was likely produced postmortem.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.