Glider accident while filming commercial in 2011. NTSB Report updated

On Friday, June 21, 2013 11:25:30 AM UTC-6, noel.wade wrote:
On Friday, June 21, 2013 7:16:25 AM UTC-7, JohnDeRosa wrote:

Can anyone comment if the "steep nose high attitude" was intentional?



I don't think anyone can say exactly what was intentional, other than the deceased pilot.



I have heard - secondhand - that during the planning of the commercial they had wanted a shot from in front of the SUV looking back at it, with the glider rising suddenly & dramatically above it. Whether that was part of the final plans or whether they were trying to film that scene at the time of the accident is anyone's guess.



Frank - One thing to remember is that we do not _know_ if the pilot initiated the turn, or if it merely appeared so as the first phase of spin entry (i.e. a wing-drop). It is entirely possible the pilot was intending to land straight ahead but experienced an asymmetric stall (again, could've been the cross-wind, or a gust, or mechanical turbulence, or lack of coordinated controls, or whatever - we just don't know). I also don't think the satellite photo/maps show clearly if there are bushes or a fence between the runway and the large field - it is possible the pilot had better information about that than we do.



--Noel

Google Earth has pretty good images. There is at least a hedge and probably a fence at the airport boundary, which is about 90 yards past the pavement. There do not appear to be wires. The field may be hay production/pasture or something else. Could have been bales as late as October, ruling it out as an option.

I agree, wind may have been a factor, especially with the surrounding hills and mountains. I wouldn't read much into the Ellensburg winds though.

However, the rope break was clearly a contributing factor and might have been eliminated.

Frank Whiteley