NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On September 2, 2002, approximately 1800 central daylight time, a Schweizer SGS 1-34 glider, N2691H, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during following a loss of control while on final approach for landing at the Decatur Municipal Airport near Decatur, Texas. The glider was registered to and operated by North Texas Soaring of Decatur. The private pilot, sole occupant of the glider, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The local flight departed the Decatur Municipal Airport, approximately 1745.

A witness near the airport reported that he observed the glider turn final for runway 16, and it appeared to be aligned with the taxiway. The witness further reported that the glider "appeared to stall" on final approach as he observed the glider nosed down, descent, and impact the ground north of the taxiway.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot was issued a private pilot certificate on January 22, 2001, for single-engine land airplanes, and on October 28, 2001, she was issued a glider rating. The pilot had accumulated a total of 92.4 flight hours, of which 74.0 hours were in airplanes and 18.4 hours in gliders. A review of the pilot's records revealed that the pilot had logged 1 hour and 45 minutes in the last 30 days in gliders. The accident flight was the second flight of the day in the same make and model as the accident glider. The pilot held a valid third class medical certificate, issued June 20, 2002. The medical certificate stipulated a limitation to wear corrective lenses when operating an aircraft.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The 1976-model Schweizer SGS 1-34 was a single-place, medium performance, all metal sailplane with a wingspan of 49.2 feet. The wing area was 151.0 square feet with an aspect ratio of 16. The aircraft's empty weight was 640 pounds and its maximum gross weight was 840 pounds. The airplane had 75 pounds of ballast under the pilot's seat. A review of the aircraft's maintenance records revealed that the glider underwent its last annual inspection on September 1, 2001, at an aircraft total time of 1,515.0 hours. At the time of the accident, the glider had accumulated 1,560.0 hours. No evidence of uncorrected maintenance discrepancies was noted in the records.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 1753, the weather observation facility at the Denton Municipal Airport (located 20 miles east of the accident site), reported the wind from 140 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies, temperature 96 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 61 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 29.89 inches of mercury.

AERODROME INFORMATION

The Decatur Municipal Airport is located 2 miles north of Decatur, at an elevation of 1,047 feet. The airport features one asphalt runway, identified as 17 and 35, which is 3,900 feet long and 60 feet wide. The ground drops sharply 160 feet north of threshold for runway 17.

WRECKAGE IMPACT INFORMATION

The glider impacted the ground on a magnetic heading of 150 degrees, approximately 2.5 feet below the crest of the steep embankment north of the taxiway for runway 17. The wreckage of the glider came to rest about 5 feet southwest of the initial impact scar.

The nose of the glider was crushed up and aft, and the canopy was found separated from the fuselage. The left wing was bent aft near the inboard end of the aileron, and there was a gap between the left wing's leading edge and the fuselage. A steel fence pole was found sticking into the bottom of the right wing. The fuselage was buckled forward of the leading edge of both wings. Control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to all flight control surfaces.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

On September 3, 2002, an autopsy was performed on the pilot at the Tarrant County Morgue, Fort Worth, Texas. No evidence was found of any preexisting disease that could have contributed to the accident

Toxicological testing on the pilot, was performed by the FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute, near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for carbon monoxide, cyanide, alcohol, and drugs. The toxicological tests were negative.

ADDITIONAL DATA

The glider was released to the owner's representative on September 2, 2002.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall. A contributing factor was lack of total experience in the make and model of the accident aircraft.