NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On May 26, 2017, about 1523 Pacific daylight time, a Schleicher ASW 28-18E motorglider, N63KR, impacted terrain about 9 miles west-northwest of Ephrata Municipal Airport (EPH), Ephrata, Washington. The pilot was fatally injured, and the glider sustained substantial damage. The glider was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which originated from EPH about 1420.

The pilot obtained a tow to altitude from an airplane operated by a soaring club at EPH. The pilot's towcard indicated that he released from tow at an altitude of 3,000 ft above ground level (agl).

The glider was equipped with a PowerFLARM portable GPS device/transponder, which documented its flight track, speed, and altitude. Data retrieved from the device showed a flight track that began northwest of EPH about 1436. The glider made several 360° turns and flew in a generally westward direction until it was about 15 nautical miles from the airport. The glider then established a generally eastward route of flight, again making several 360° turns as it tracked east. The data ended about 9 miles west-northwest of EPH about 1523. The glider reached its highest altitude of the flight, about 8,500 ft GPS altitude, about 1447; after that, the glider slowly descended until it leveled off temporarily about 3,900 ft before it continued to slowly descend until the end of the data. Throughout the flight, the glider's speed varied between 40 and 108 knots. During the last 8 minutes of recorded data, the glider's speed was gradually decreasing from about 76 knots to about 40 knots. There were no witnesses to the accident.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a glider rating, issued July 24, 2016. He did not hold a Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate, nor was he required to for glider operations. The pilot started glider training in August 2015 in Deer Park, Washington, and took an extended break before he finished training in Moriarty, New Mexico. The pilot's wife mentioned that his flight training was in two-seated gliders; she recalled him training in a Lark, DG505, and a Grob 103. The accident flight was the pilot's second flight in both the accident glider and in a single-seat glider.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The pilot purchased the glider on July 26, 2016; his first flight in it occurred on May 7, 2017 from EPH. The glider was equipped with a SOLO 2350, 2-stroke engine; and it has a stall speed of about 38 knots.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

EPH is a non-tower-controlled facility located on an open plateau at an elevation of 1,276 ft mean sea level. The airport had three hard surfaced runways, one of which is for glider use only between April 1 and November 1. The accident flight was the pilot's second flight from EPH.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMAITON

The glider came to rest in a dry, newly-plowed field that was sloped downward toward a patch of tall vegetation. The main wreckage came to rest about 75 ft from the vegetation, with the nose of the glider pointed toward the vegetation at a magnetic heading of about 324o. About 10 ft in front, and slightly to the right of, the nose of glider was a small impact crater and a long narrow trench that extended from near the crater. The glider's forward fuselage sustained heavy crush damage; the cabin area was slightly crushed and widened. The wings remained intact and attached to the fuselage. The right wing exhibited a dusting of dirt along the outboard leading edge of the wing, and the inboard trailing edge exhibited delamination. The left wing was shifted forward at the fuselage attachment point. Both airbrakes were found in the retracted position. The engine was found stowed and secured in place with no damage noted to the engine or engine compartment area; only a small amount of fuel was removed from the fuel tank. One of the propeller blades exhibited a line of dirt consistent with the crack of the engine compartment doors. The propeller was manipulated by hand and moved side to side with no binding or grinding. No fuel was observed in the fuel tank; however, a small amount of fuel leaked from the tank during the wreckage recovery. The aft fuselage was almost completely fracture-separated slightly forward of the empennage. The empennage was bent to the right and came to rest in the opposite direction. Control continuity was established throughout the airframe.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Grant County Coroner, Moses Lake, Washington, performed an autopsy on the pilot. The cause of death was listed as blunt impact of the trunk and extremities.

The FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed forensic toxicology on specimens from the pilot with negative results for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and volatiles. Positive results were specified for atorvastatin, bupropion, losartan, and metoprolol in the liver and blood (cavity).

Atorvastatin (often called Lipitor) is a cholesterol-lowering agent. Losartan and metoprolol are used to treat hypertension; other common names are Cozaar and Lopressor, respectively. These three drugs are not considered impairing. Bupropion is an antidepressant also used to treat nicotine addiction and available as Wellbutrin and Zyban. Warnings for this drug include a dose-dependent risk of seizures, and a warning that it may impair mental and physical functioning. Further medical information, such as the reason for his use of bupropion or the status of any underlying depression, could not be obtained during the investigation.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain glider control while attempting to conduct an off-airport landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.