Rolladen Schneider LS4 N7LR

Summary

On 29 June 2019 at about 21:11 local time, a Rolladen Schneider LS4 registered N7LR was involved in an accident near Moriarty, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 June 2019 at 21:11

Classification

Accident

Location

Moriarty, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Moriarty Muni (0E0)

Coordinates

34.8378, -106.1136

Aircraft

Rolladen Schneider LS4

Registration

N7LR

Category

Glider

Year built

1981

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Moriarty → Moriarty

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA181

1 person died.

An in-flight cardiac event which necessitated an emergency landing, and which the pilot succumbed to.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A pilot departed in a single-seat glider for a personal flight near mountainous terrain. The flight was uneventful until shortly after the pilot reversed course back to the destination. Shortly thereafter, the pilot made a 90° turn toward open terrain and began a descent. The descent was initially shallow but increased to about 1,000 ft per minute during the turn. After the turn was completed, the glider maintained a steady course heading. The ground speed initially increased during the descent but was noticeably decreased before the landing. A crash landing was accomplished in an open field and the glider came to rest upright in heavy vegetation and sustained minor damage. The deceased pilot was found strapped in his seat with the canopy closed and was observed to have sustained only minor external injures. Additionally, the glider’s landing gear was extended. There were no anomalies noted in recorded data from the accident flight indicating abnormal operation of the glider. Further, examination of the airframe failed to reveal any anomalies with the airframe that would have precluded normal operation. The medical examiner attributed the cause of death to natural causes due to a cardiac event.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.