Fatal crash Arizona

Many of the larger clubs in the UK have a two seat, touring motor glider
which is used for navigation and off field landing training, pattern
practice, particularly practice at dealing with patterns started too low or
in the wrong place and PRACTICE LAUNCH FAILURES, PARTICULARLY THOSE
REQUIRING OFF-FIELD LANDINGS. It doesn't seem to be a widely used
technique in the USA but I would recommend it.

I have always felt that the American view that you can turn back once above
200 feet is lacking in flexibility, certainly turning back below 200 feet
is almost always inadvisable but there are plenty off occasions when a
landing off field is the best and safest option at heights above 200 feet.

Some years ago I was running a course for potential CFI G's in the USA, as
an exercise, I asked each of the on tow to call "Now" at the earliest
moment they felt safe and comfortable for me to pull the release and them
to turn back to the field - the calls all came above 500 feet!

At 05:07 06 May 2014, wrote:
On Monday, May 5, 2014 8:17:31 PM UTC-7, kirk.stant wrote:
On Monday, May 5, 2014 1:38:32 PM UTC-7, Mike the Strike wrote:
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I have flown into and out of Sampley's a few times. The terrain at
Sam=
pley's rises to the east and falls to the west. Heading west, you are
over=
slightly falling terrain with open fields for landing. On an easterly
dep=
arture, you may be at an indicated 200 feet above take-off but may only
be
=
100' over terrain. Straight-ahead landing options are not very enticing
to=
the east once you've passed the end of the strip, so a turn back from an
i=
ndicated 200' may seem like the best option.
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Minor correction: Sampley runs North-South, with takeoffs invariably
uphi=
ll to the South. South gets slowly higher until some hills (all raw
desert=
), North gently slopes down to the center of the valley (mostly
agricultura=
l fields - all landable).
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Not too many good options if PTT is really low taking off to the South;
y=
ou pretty much have to either get back to the runway or accept a desert
lan=
ding.
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Sad.
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Kirk
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66

I took off about 15 minutes ahead of Bob (was 1st in line and he was
3rd).
=
There were the usual bumpy spots (up and down gusts) in the first 50 or
so=
feet AGL and then the usual booming lift at the end of the runway. As
we
=
got to the end of the runway we were lower than I had experienced
previousl=
y there, and I have probably 10 years of flying from there. The tow
plane
=
was running fine, it just seemed like we towed through some bumpy sinking
a=
ir til the big boomer at the runway end. =20

One of the pilots made the comment Saturday evening that the release on a
Z=
uni could "self release / back release" without pilot input.... it was
not
=
a Tost, and required the big ring. If that is correct, the bumpy air
down
=
low could have caused yo-yo effect and an inadverdant release. That
would
=
have probably put Bob in the sinking air around the big lift at the end
of
=
the runway about the time of release To me, the only options would have
be=
en straight ahead, either hopefully on what was left of the runway or
into
=
the bushes past the end. Other than "south of Cliff's hanger" I don't
know=
how far down the runway he was when he crashed / how much, if any runway
w=
as left in front of him. Wind on the ground at the north end of the
runway=
, where we were staged was 5-15 mph SSW.=20

Whenever I take off I constantly calculate where I would have to go if
the
=
rope were to break, and, as I was lower than usual that day, I was
looking
=
at that. A damaged or totaled glider is still better than taking a
chance
=
on a stall-spin. My count to 200 ft. AGL) lasted until we had been in the
b=
oomer past the runway end for a few seconds. If Bob had been in exactly
th=
e same air, any release before the runway end, he would have been under
100=
'AGL. =20

I enjoyed my conversations with Bob before we gridded, and thinking of
him
=
now gives me an erie feeling. Such a nice guy, happy with gliding, and
wil=
ling and eager to learn more about desert flying. But, in the end, what
ca=
n be said other than it was just his time to go. Yes, gliding is
dangerous.=
I've been into soaring since 1996 and he was the 7th I've known to be
call=
ed to the other side.=20

We try to learn from others' mistakes, but in this case, as there were no
g=
lider pilots who observed the event, little can be learned. =20

My heart goes out to his family and friends.=20

Bob T