On Friday, March 28, 2014 at 12:34:40 AM UTC-4, Ramy wrote:
Wow, this was certainly more than a landout gone bad.
Any chance we can learn what actually happened (other than NTSB report which is not likely to tell anything useful)?

Ramy

So today I was flipping through Netflix trying to find something to watch. As I'm rolling through the selections the preview thumb nails are lagging behind a bit and suddenly a guy sitting in a glider with the canopy open flashes by. It takes me a bit to go back and find what show it was but I narrow it down to of all things, "The Celebrity Plastic Surgeons of Beverly Hills" So I dig deeper and find that Season 1 episode 3 "To Glide Or Not To Glide" and episode 4 "Crash Landing" both have multiple camera angles and shots of this crash and rescue. Dr. Amron tries to get get his other Dr buddies to go along for glider rides. He's the first to go but doesn't make it back to the airport as he was in the front seat during this crash. The pilot appears to get too low behind a ridge to get back to the airport and can't dig out. As the terrain gets closer you can very clearly see the wings slowly rocking back and forth seeming to indicate flying too slow and then a stall and spin to the left. The stick inputs are easily seen from the external camera view. It appears to have been about one full turn before impact. They both were extremely lucky on multiple levels. I imagine the NTSB has more video evidence of this crash than just about any other glider crash before.

If you have Netflix I suggest you find these episodes and watch them. It's not very often we have in cockpit video evidence of a stall/spin crash to learn from. It's even better that both the occupants survived and we are able to learn from a non fatal crash. Have the remote nearby as you will want to Fast Forward through all the non glider filler and rewind to watch the glider portions in real time and slow motion.

The pilot's NTSB doesn't seem to match up with the video that well.

NTSB Identification: WPR14CA138
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, March 15, 2014 in Wrightwood, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/05/2014
Aircraft: DG FLUGZEUGBAU GMBH DG 1000S, registration: N624RM
Injuries: 1 Minor, 1 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was for him to take his cousin, the sole passenger, around the local ski area. After departure, the glider was towed to about 9,000 feet mean sea level (msl) and adjacent to the ski area. The pilot maneuvered the glider in a 300-degree turn to the right and realized that he was at a lower altitude than the ridge. He continued toward the ridge in an effort to gain lift off of the canyons. As the glider continued to lose altitude, it descended below 6,000 feet msl and the pilot began to look for terrain that would be favorable for an off-airport landing. After deciding on a location, the pilot deployed the airbrakes and with the glider about 10 to 15 feet above ground level (agl), he intentionally stalled. The glider mushed into the ground with little horizontal speed. During the accident sequence the glider incurred substantial damage to the tail boom and wings.

The pilot reported no pre impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.


The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision to maneuver the glider where the lift was not sufficient to maintain flight, resulting in an off airport landing.