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ERA14CA453

2014-09-20 · Wurtsboro, New York, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport N82

Current FAA registration · N421SL

Make / Model
SCHLEICHER ASK-21
Year of manufacture
2006 · 8 years old at event
Engine
NONE NONE
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20060330
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A500F1

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

A loss of lift during the landing approach, which resulted in impact with terrain.

Factual narrative

During his first flight of the day, the pilot of the glider experienced windy conditions and sinking air in the vicinity of the airport. He subsequently departed on a solo flight, flew for about 15 minutes, and then entered the airport traffic pattern for landing. To compensate for wind, he conducted the downwind leg of the traffic pattern at a higher speed, and entered the base leg early. On final approach for landing, the glider experienced a loss of lift and "rapid" loss of altitude, and landed short of the runway in an uneven area of vegetation, resulting in substantial damage to the forward fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. During his first flight of the day, the pilot of the glider experienced windy conditions and sinking air in the vicinity of the airport. He subsequently departed on a solo flight, flew for about 15 minutes, and then entered the airport traffic pattern for landing. To compensate for wind, he conducted the downwind leg of the traffic pattern at a higher speed, and entered the base leg early. On final approach for landing, the glider experienced a loss of lift and "rapid" loss of altitude, and landed short of the runway in an uneven area of vegetation, resulting in substantial damage to the forward fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-(general)-Effect on equipment - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Sloped/uneven-Contributed to outcome
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Attain/maintain not possible - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_ERA14CA453.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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