Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Kutztown Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Kutztown, Pennsylvania 19530
Monday, January 8, 1990 13:30 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PILOT PERFORMED A PRETAKEOFF INSPECTION OF THE GLIDER, BOARDED AND BELTED IN A PASSENGER, AND HOOKED THE GLIDER TO THE TOW PLANE. HE THEN ENTERED THE GLIDER AND SIGNALED TO THE TOW PLANE THAT HE WAS READY FOR TAKEOFF. HOWEVER, HE NOTICED AN IMBALANCE IN TRAVEL OF THE LEFT RUDDER, OPENED THE COCKPIT AND SIGNALED THAT HE WAS ABORTING THE FLIGHT. HE WAITED MOMENTARILY TO ASSURE HIMSELF THAT THE TOW PILOT HAD GOTTEN THE SIGNAL; WHEN THERE WAS INACTION ON THE PART OF THE TOW PILOT, THE GLIDER PILOT EXITED THE COCKPIT TO VISUALLY INSPECT THE RUDDER AREA. WHILE THE GLIDER PILOT WAS OUT OF THE COCKPIT AND THE PASSENGER IN THE REAR SEAT, THE TOW PILOT INITIATED A TAKEOFF. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE TOW PILOT RELEASED THE GLIDER AND IT CRASHED IN A TRAILER PARK.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
IMPROPER DECISION OF THE GLIDER PILOT TO EXIT THE GLIDER WITHOUT POSITIVE ASSURANCE THAT THE TOW PILOT HAD RECEIVED HIS SIGNAL OR THAT THE GLIDER WAS RELEASED FROM THE TOW PLANE. A RELATED FACTOR TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE LACK OF CREW COORDINATION BETWEEN THE PILOTS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 1/8/1990 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 1330 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | KUTZTOWN |
| Event State | PENNSYLVANIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 19530 |
| Event Date Year | 1990 |
| Event Date Month | 1 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | KUTZTOWN |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | N31 |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 512 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| 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 | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Unknown |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 8 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 7 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -18 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 270 |
| 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 | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 54 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jan 8 1990 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1315 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 40625 |
| 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 Registration Number | N2637H |
| NTSB Number | NYC90LA046 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | SCHWEIZER |
| Aircraft Model | SGS 2-33A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | SGS 2-33A |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 447 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1060 |
| Aircraft Category | Glider |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | -- |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | May 5 1989 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 79 |
| Airframe Hours | 1774 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | KUTZTOWN AVIATION SERVICE |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | BOX 42 ROAD 2 |
| Aircraft Owner City | KUTZTOWN |
| Aircraft Owner State | PA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 19530 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | KUTZTOWN AVIATION SERVICE,INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | RR 4, BXO 52 |
| Operator City | KUTZTOWN |
| Operator State | PA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 19530 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | 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 |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Takeoff |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 17 |
| Runway Length | 1930 |
| Runway Width | 50 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |