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WPR10CA215

2010-04-25 · Marana, Arizona, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N500JN

Make / Model
PZL-SWIDNIK PW-5
Year of manufacture
1996 · 14 years old at event
Engine
NONE NONE
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20100602
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A63AC5

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's inability to find thermal lift. Contributing to the accident was the failure of a computer that provided glide information and vertical speed instrumentation as a result of an improperly routed electrical cable that caused a short in the electrical system and the pilot's lack of experience in the glider.

Factual narrative

The glider pilot had been checked out in the glider the day of the accident and it was the first time she had flown this make and model. Approximately two hours into the flight, she smelled a rubber burning smell and all of her electronics ceased operating. She initiated a turn back to her departure airport but due to her lack of experience, she was unable to find a thermal and the glider continued to descend. During the forced, off-field landing, the glider impacted trees and desert brush. Post accident examination of the glider revealed that the cable supplying power to the removable data logger was found pinched against a metal computer port. This resulted in an electrical short and disabled the glide computer, global positioning system, and the vertical speed indicator. The glider pilot had been checked out in the glider the day of the accident and it was the first time she had flown this make and model. Approximately two hours into the flight, she smelled a burning rubber smell before all of the electronics ceased operating. She turned back to her departure airport, but due to her lack of experience she was unable to find a thermal and the glider continued to descend. During the forced off-field landing, the glider impacted trees and desert brush. Postaccident examination of the glider revealed that the cable supplying power to the removable data logger was routed improperly and had rubbed against a metal computer port, causing an electrical short and disabling the glide computer, global positioning system, and the vertical speed indicator. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • F Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience w/ equipment-Pilot - F
  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Thermal lifting-Not specified - C
  • F Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Indicating/recording systems-Instrument panel -Inoperative - F
  • F Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Electrical power system-(general)-Malfunction - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_WPR10CA215.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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