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WPR14CA213

2014-05-26 · Cedar Valley, Utah, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport UT10

Current FAA registration · N137ED

Make / Model
SCHLEICHER ASW-27
Year of manufacture
1999 · 15 years old at event
Engine
NONE NONE
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20020509
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A0959A

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the takeoff roll, which resulted in inadvertent terrain contact by the wing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that while being towed behind a tow airplane for takeoff, there was a slight drop of the right wing. The pilot corrected with aileron control to level the wings and at this point, the left wing may have come in contact with the grass on the runway, which provided enough drag to turn the glider 180 degrees to the left. During the turn, the safety link released. The glider then rolled backwards before coming to rest. Postaccident examination of the left wing revealed that the left aileron was substantially damaged and had separated from its mounts in the wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that while being towed behind a tow airplane for takeoff, there was a slight drop of the right wing. The pilot corrected with aileron control to level the wings and at this point, the left wing may have come in contact with the grass on the runway, which provided enough drag to turn the glider 180 degrees to the left. During the turn, the safety link released. The glider then rolled backwards before coming to rest. Postaccident examination of the left wing revealed that the left aileron was substantially damaged and had separated from its mounts in the wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Lateral/bank control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Debris/dirt/foreign object-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_WPR14CA213.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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