Jonker Sailplanes JS1C N213DT

Summary

On 7 August 2019 at about 20:30 local time, a Jonker Sailplanes JS1C registered N213DT was involved in an accident near Cotulla, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 August 2019 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Cotulla, Texas, United States

Coordinates

28.4100, -99.0781

Aircraft

Jonker Sailplanes JS1C

Registration

N213DT

Category

Glider

Year built

2014

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Uvalde → Uvalde

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19FA253

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain sufficient airspeed of the glider, which resulted in exceedance of the glider's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall/spin.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was participating in a glider soaring competition and did not return from the flight. The wreckage of the glider was found about 7 miles from one of the turn points used during the competition. A ground impact scar was found beneath the glider's left wing and a few feet aft of the right wing. The glider's aft fuselage was fractured with the tail bent upward and to the left. The ground scar and fuselage damage are consistent with the glider impacting terrain in a near vertical attitude with rotation to the left at impact. Examination of the glider and its control system did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Although the glider was equipped with a turbine sustainer engine, it was found retracted, which indicates that it was not in use at the time of the accident. The toxicological tests performed on the pilot’s remains were positive for ethanol, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and carboxy-delta-9-THC (THC-COOH). The ethanol was likely the result of putrefaction. While the psychoactive effects may last a few hours, THC can be detected in the body for days or weeks. Thus, test results do not necessarily reflect recent use and cannot be used to prove that the user was under the influence of the drug at the time of testing. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the pilot did not maintain sufficient airspeed of the glider, which resulted in exceedance of the glider's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall/spin.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.