Pipistrel APIS-BEE N812DS
21 October 2021 · Columbia, South Carolina, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 21 October 2021 at about 14:38 local time, a Pipistrel APIS-BEE registered N812DS was involved in an accident near Columbia, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously 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 14:38
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Columbia, South Carolina, United States
- Nearest airport
- Jim Hamilton L B Owens (CUB)
- Coordinates
- 33.9732, -80.9997
- Aircraft
- Pipistrel APIS-BEE
- Registration
- N812DS
- Category
- Glider
- Year built
- 2021
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA22LA025
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the glider during the landing approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with the runway.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, this was the first flight he made in the glider. He performed the first landing with the engine up and idling, and then during the second time around the traffic pattern, he stowed the engine during the downwind leg. When he turned the glider onto the base leg of the traffic pattern, he realized that he was “coming in high,” so he extended the airbrakes. He thought the glider needed a “little more help” descending, so he put the glider into a side slip. The pilot slipped the glider two more times, and on the third slip, the nose of the glider “dropped,” and it impacted the runway in a nose down position, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the glider revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Dec 2021 | Globe GC-1B | Bennettsville, South Carolina, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 2021 | Cessna 210 | Columbia, South Carolina, United States | Centurion Associates 2 LLC | No injuries | - |
| 21 May 2021 | Piper PA-31P | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 7 Jul 2021 | Piper PA28 | Bishopville, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jan 2021 | Beechcraft F33 | Columbia, South Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 2 May 2021 | Cessna 550 | Charleston, South Carolina, United States | STB Aviation LLC | No injuries | - |