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WPR22LA364

2022-09-29 · Hood River, Oregon, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 4S2

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s encounter with atmospheric conditions where the lift was not sufficient to maintain flight.

Factual narrative

The pilot in the glider reported that, during the return flight to the airport, he encountered a higher sink rate than expected and did not have sufficient altitude to reach the airport. During an emergency landing in a fruit orchard, the glider landing gear contacted utility pole wires, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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.

  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Thermal lifting-Effect on operation
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Attain/maintain not possible
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_WPR22LA364.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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