Alexander Schleicher Gmbh & ASH 31 MI N31MX

Summary

On 5 July 2017 at about 19:30 local time, a Alexander Schleicher Gmbh & ASH 31 MI registered N31MX was involved in an accident near Ely, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 July 2017 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Ely, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

39.3150, -114.7569

Aircraft

Alexander Schleicher Gmbh & ASH 31 MI

Registration

N31MX

Category

Glider

Year built

2010

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ely → Ely

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA386

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to maintain the proper airspeed and his exceedance of the glider’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in a stall/spin.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The glider pilot reported that, while maneuvering about 10,000 ft mean sea level he "lost control," and the glider went into a spin, followed by a spiral. He added that he egressed from the glider, deployed his parachute, and was later rescued. The glider impacted terrain and was destroyed. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.