Lone Pine Airport, Lone Pine, CA

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Airport Area Accident History:
Accident occurred Sunday, July 18, 2004 in Lone Pine, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 9/29/2004
Aircraft: PDPS PZL-BIELSKO SZD-50-3, registration: N19SZ
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The glider collided with a tree during landing, and the right wing was torn from the fuselage. After clearing a set of power lines, the glider was 15 feet agl. The pilot saw a tree, and the glider drifted to the right of the runway centerline. He misjudged the clearance between the tree and the wing, and a collision occurred. The glider spun 270 degrees from its original flight path before coming to rest. The pilot recommended flying a higher approach to prevent future accidents. The pilot noted no mechanical malfunctions with the glider prior to the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: the pilot failed to maintain runway alignment, and misjudged the clearance between the tree and the wing resulting in a collision with the tree. ===
Accident occurred Friday, September 19, 2003 in Lone Pine, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 6/8/2005
Aircraft: Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus, registration: N71DA
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
The glider collided with power lines shortly after the pilot released from the tow airplane. Prior to departure, the pilot assembled the glider by himself. During the initial climb out, the tow airplane's climb performance was poor, and the tow pilot noticed that the glider's spoilers were in the deployed position. The tow pilot opted to return back to the airport and while in the turn, the glider pilot released from the towline. The glider pilot announced over the radio that he was having problems with the spoilers and planned to attempt to maneuver back to the airport. The glider turned and then continued on a flight path until impacting high-tension power lines. The glider's service manual states that prior to departure the pilot should check the function of the control surfaces, and ensure that the spoilers are operating properly. A post accident examination of the spoiler control rods inside the fuselage revealed that the inboard sections of both control rods were not connected to their corresponding bell crank. The glider is designed in such a way that to assemble the spoilers, the person performing the assembly must access the control rods from the cockpit, by going through the aft bulkhead. While connecting the spoilers, it is not possible to visually assess how to make the assembly. The assembly must be done by feeling the parts and connecting them without any visual reference. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: the pilot's inadequate assembly of the glider and improper preflight inspection, which resulted in an inadvertent deployment of the spoilers. Also causal was the pilot's failure to maintain obstacle clearance. His diverted attention to the control problems presented by the deployed spoilers was a contributing factor.


Lone Pine Airport Approach / Landing: