Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Medina, Texas 78055
Wednesday, July 31, 1991 15:00 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE GLIDERS COLLIDED AT APPROXIMATELY 6,000 FEET MSL WHILE CLIMBING IN A THERMAL AREA. IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA, APPROXIMATELY 20 GLIDERS WERE MANEUVERING ATTEMPTING TO ATTAIN OPTIMUM LIFT. THIS RESULTED IN OVERLAPPING FLIGHT PATHS. THE PILOT OF JAPANESE REGISTRY JA2413 OBSERVED FINNISH REGISTRY OH825 AND TWO OTHER GLIDERS APPROACHING FROM HIS LEFT AND BELOW HIS ALTITUDE. HE LOST SIGHT OF THE GLIDERS. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, OH825 STRUCK HIS AFT FUSELAGE ON THE LEFT SIDE, WHICH RESULTED IN THE SEPARATION OF HIS EMPENNAGE. PAINT TRANSFER FROM THE RIGHT SIDE CANOPY TRACK AREA OF OH825 WAS FOUND ON THE LEFT SIDE OF JA2413 AT THE 7 O'CLOCK POSITION WHEN VIEWING JA2413 ALONG ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS FROM THE REAR. ADDITIONAL PAINT TRANSFERS WERE LOCATED AT THE 8 O'CLOCK, 9 O'CLOCK AND 10 O'CLOCK POSITIONS. OH825 CONTINUED GLIDING, BUT IN AN ERRATIC MANNER, EVENTUALLY COLLIDING WITH THE TERRAIN. THE COCKPIT AREA OF OH825 SUSTAINED THE IN-FLIGHT COLLISION DAMAGE. THE PILOT OF JA2413 PARACHUTED TO SAFETY.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE FAILURE OF THE OTHER PILOT TO MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/31/1991 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1500 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | MEDINA |
| Event State | TEXAS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 78055 |
| Event Date Year | 1991 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | Yes |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Witness |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 700 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 20 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 35 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -18 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 90 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 10 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 6001 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 44744 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 18 2002 11:28AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\GIUV |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
||
|---|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
Aircraft #2 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | JA241 | OH825 |
| NTSB Number | FTW91FA131A | FTW91FA131B |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | SCHEMPP-HIRTH | PZL-Mielec |
| Aircraft Model | DISCUS-B | 55-1 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | DISCUS-B | 55-1 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 240 | 551190002 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1155 | -- |
| Aircraft Category | Glider | Glider |
| Aircraft Registration Class | Foreign Registered/U.S. Soil | Foreign Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 1 | 1 |
| Number of Engines | 0 | 0 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 17 1990 12:00AM | Apr 5 1990 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- | 202 |
| ELT Installed | No | No |
| ELT Activated | No | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ATSUSHI KODAMA | LLMASOTABOULUN LENTOKERHARY |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 3-12-5-SHOUDO | FINNISH AERO. SOCIETY |
| Aircraft Owner City | SAKAEKO YOKAHAN | HELSINKI |
| Aircraft Owner State | TX | TX |
| Aircraft Owner Country | ||
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 247 | 00700 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- | -- |
| Operator Name | ATSUSHI KODAMA | LLMASOTABOULUN LENTOKERHARY |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | 3-12-5-SHOUDO | FINNISH AERO. SOCIETY |
| Operator City | SAKAEKO YOKAHAN | HELSINKI |
| Operator State | TX | TX |
| Operator Country | ||
| Operator Zip code | 247 | 00700 |
| Operator Code | ||
| Owner has at least one certificate | None | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No | No |
| Departure Airport Code | UVA | UVA |
| Departure City | UVALDE | UVALDE |
| Departure State | TX | TX |
| Departure Country | ||
| Departure Time | 1311 | 1305 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | ||
| Destination City | ||
| Destination State | ||
| Destination Country | ||
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering | Maneuvering |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- | -- |
| Runway Width | -- | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No | No |
| Medical Flight | -- | -- |