Schempp Hirth VENTUS 2A N57LK
26 July 2019 · Wurtsboro, New York, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 26 July 2019 at about 18:00 local time, a Schempp Hirth VENTUS 2A registered N57LK was involved in an accident near Wurtsboro, New York, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. 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 18:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Wurtsboro, New York, United States
- Nearest airport
- Wurtsboro-Sullivan County (N82)
- Coordinates
- 41.5972, -74.4583
- Aircraft
- Schempp Hirth VENTUS 2A
- Registration
- N57LK
- Category
- Glider
- Year built
- 2002
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Wurtsboro → Wurtsboro
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- GAA19CA469
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to properly secure the glider’s canopy before flight, which resulted in it opening in flight and the pilot's inability to maintain an appropriate final approach path and altitude, which resulted in impact with a shipping container.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that, while being towed, the glider began to climb, and the canopy opened. The pilot released the glider from the tow airplane, and he reached up and closed the canopy. He decreased the glider's airspeed and made a 180° right turn to final. On final, the glider was high, and he deployed the airbrakes, but the canopy opened again. The pilot closed the canopy and held it shut with his left hand while trying to control the glider with his right hand, but the altitude decreased "very quickly." The glider's wingtip struck a shipping container just short of the runway. The glider sustained substantial damage to the left wing and the empennage. 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.
Other Schempp Hirth VENTUS accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 May 2020 | Schempp Hirth VENTUS 2CT | Stuarts Draft, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Apr 2021 | Schempp Hirth VENTUS C | Wagener, South Carolina, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 2015 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS 2C | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | KEITH MILLER and DAVID Van Der LINDEN | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 2015 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS 2CT | Blacksburg, Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Feb 2014 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS 2B | Burnsville, North Carolina, United States | Campbell JAY D | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 Jun 2013 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2B | Corona, New Mexico, United States | Paynter G Frank | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 May 2019 | Bell 206 | New York, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 2019 | Howard Steven C SUPER | Norwich, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Dec 2019 | Piper PA28 | Cortland, New York, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2019 | Cessna T303 | Lagrangeville, New York, United States | Pegasus Aviation Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 6 May 2019 | Piper PA 20 | Canandaigua, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jun 2019 | Eurocopter EC135 | Cobleskill, New York, United States | Air Methods Corporation | No injuries | - |