Fatal Towplane Accident 5-9-20

Both the tow pilot and the glider pilot where very experienced. The glider pilot is also an instructor. The scout had a retractable tow rope with a guillotine release. It happened so quickly I doubt the tow pilot had any time to react and recover. This is just my opinion not official statement of course. I wasn’t at Byron that day. We will need to wait for at least the preliminary NTSB reports but we will make sure to cooperate with the NTSB investigator.
This is a tragic loss and we at NCSA are still in shock. Yet this is unfortunately not uncommon. Please keep in mind that these sorts of accidents have additional victim, the glider pilot who have to live with it. We are all human and prone to distraction no matter how experienced and trained we are.. No one knowingly or purposely kite their glider.

Ramy

At 18:05 12 May 2020, Ramy wrote:

This is a tragic loss and we at NCSA are still in shock. Yet this is
unfortunately not uncommon. Please keep in mind that these sorts of
accidents have additional victim, the glider pilot who have to live with
it. We are all human and prone to distraction no matter how
experienced and trained we are. No one knowingly or purposely kite
their glider.

Ramy


Well said that man

On Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 2:05:55 PM UTC-4, Ramy wrote:
Both the tow pilot and the glider pilot where very experienced. The glider pilot is also an instructor. The scout had a retractable tow rope with a guillotine release. It happened so quickly I doubt the tow pilot had any time to react and recover. This is just my opinion not official statement of course. I wasn’t at Byron that day. We will need to wait for at least the preliminary NTSB reports but we will make sure to cooperate with the NTSB investigator.
This is a tragic loss and we at NCSA are still in shock. Yet this is unfortunately not uncommon. Please keep in mind that these sorts of accidents have additional victim, the glider pilot who have to live with it. We are all human and prone to distraction no matter how experienced and trained we are. No one knowingly or purposely kite their glider.

Ramy

Thanks for the information, your willingness to speak on the incident speaks volumes. Hopefully all those with professional speculation will quell their thoughts and speculations out of respect.

Thank you very much for this information Ramy. One of the hardest things is not knowing what took place. It could happen to any of us if we let our guard down. It only takes a second.

Boggs

On Sunday, May 10, 2020 at 7:57:01 AM UTC-7, Paul Agnew wrote:
Very sad to read this tragic news this morning.

http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2020/0...fatal.html?m=1

Comments (anonymous) on the webpage indicate kiting may have been a significant factor.

Sincere condolences to the family of the tow pilot and to the members of the club.

Paul Agnew
Jupiter, FL

16Y had a device to cut the rope and would not have been effected by the tension on the rope. The snout at the tail is a tube that feeds the rope to electric spool behind the pilots seat after release.

We are looking for the tow rope.

BG

Indeed it was a canopy came open.

On Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 11:05:55 AM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
Both the tow pilot and the glider pilot where very experienced. The glider pilot is also an instructor. The scout had a retractable tow rope with a guillotine release. It happened so quickly I doubt the tow pilot had any time to react and recover. This is just my opinion not official statement of course. I wasn’t at Byron that day. We will need to wait for at least the preliminary NTSB reports but we will make sure to cooperate with the NTSB investigator.
This is a tragic loss and we at NCSA are still in shock. Yet this is unfortunately not uncommon. Please keep in mind that these sorts of accidents have additional victim, the glider pilot who have to live with it. We are all human and prone to distraction no matter how experienced and trained we are. No one knowingly or purposely kite their glider.

Ramy

Did the glider have a flight data logger? If so, has the flight log been examined?

Tom

On Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 4:05:38 PM UTC-4, BG wrote:
On Sunday, May 10, 2020 at 7:57:01 AM UTC-7, Paul Agnew wrote:
Very sad to read this tragic news this morning.

http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2020/0...fatal.html?m=1

Comments (anonymous) on the webpage indicate kiting may have been a significant factor.

Sincere condolences to the family of the tow pilot and to the members of the club.

Paul Agnew
Jupiter, FL

16Y had a device to cut the rope and would not have been effected by the tension on the rope. The snout at the tail is a tube that feeds the rope to electric spool behind the pilots seat after release.

We are looking for the tow rope.

BG

Indeed it was a canopy came open.

This thread, like almost every thread after a tug upset, goes through the same stuff about Schweizer releases and that kind of stuff. That has little to do with preventing the next one.
If the observation is that the canopy came open, and this is true, this accident is instructive in a very important way that we can use to help avoid the next one.
Assuming that the distraction of an open canopy caused loss of position control and crashed the tug, I submit the real cause of the accident is probably a blown checklist whereby the canopy was not locked and confirmed.
We can all honor the lost pilot by dedicating ourselves to using our checklist on every takeoff, and reminding our students and friends to do the same.
With the late start to the season for many,we are all more rusty than usual, good habits need to be reacquired. Checklists are among the most important.
With respect
UH

On Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 6:52:58 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 4:05:38 PM UTC-4, BG wrote:
On Sunday, May 10, 2020 at 7:57:01 AM UTC-7, Paul Agnew wrote:
Very sad to read this tragic news this morning.

http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2020/0...fatal.html?m=1

Comments (anonymous) on the webpage indicate kiting may have been a significant factor.

Sincere condolences to the family of the tow pilot and to the members of the club.

Paul Agnew
Jupiter, FL

16Y had a device to cut the rope and would not have been effected by the tension on the rope. The snout at the tail is a tube that feeds the rope to electric spool behind the pilots seat after release.

We are looking for the tow rope.

BG

Indeed it was a canopy came open.

This thread, like almost every thread after a tug upset, goes through the same stuff about Schweizer releases and that kind of stuff. That has little to do with preventing the next one.
If the observation is that the canopy came open, and this is true, this accident is instructive in a very important way that we can use to help avoid the next one.
Assuming that the distraction of an open canopy caused loss of position control and crashed the tug, I submit the real cause of the accident is probably a blown checklist whereby the canopy was not locked and confirmed.
We can all honor the lost pilot by dedicating ourselves to using our checklist on every takeoff, and reminding our students and friends to do the same.
With the late start to the season for many,we are all more rusty than usual, good habits need to be reacquired. Checklists are among the most important.
With respect
UH

Agreed, proper use of the checklist may well have interdicted this event. One more thing has to be added and that's what we have all been told, time and time and time again.....FLY THE AIRPLANE, THE GLIDER, THE HELICOPTER. Whatever it is we are flying. Flying the glider in this situation means keeping your eyes on the tow plane and maintaining position. Unfortunately this incident happened at an altitude which made recovery by the tow pilot impossible.

Walt Connelly
Former Tow Pilot
Now Happy Helicopter Pilot.

Things we don't teach to beginning glider pilots:

1. Don't kill the towpilot – Release immediately if you lose sight of the towplane or have any control problems.

2. Egress and use of chute. A K-21 on an intro flight lost control after a lightning strike and both pilots successfully used their chutes. Sadly last year that was not the case after a midair between another K-21 and towplane.

3. Handling a loose canopy. There's been a number of write-offs and fatalities because of this, even though gliders are perfectly flyable without a canopy.

You really need to know which rudder pedal will keep a side opening canopy down if it was not properly latched – easy to do on an L-33 (now a simulator cockpit) as I have witnessed.

Then there's the Puchaz which can lose the canopy in a sideslip if the latches are not perfectly adjusted.

Having a CG hook, I have my hand on the release until 300' up. Self preservation on the winch and towpilot preservation on aerotow. I'd much rather deal with writing off my glider than killing a towpilot.

Thanks all for the additional information that helps clear up this tragic accident.

Now damb it to hell!!!!! When are we going to ram into the heads of everyone flying, new pilot-experienced pilot, old guy-young guy, to FLY THE DAMB AIRPLANE!.... we have all seen this type of needless accident multiple times.. Screw the canopy, forget the canopy, fly the Fin ship! Don’t release unless your still on the ground and got stoppable runway in front of you, don’t panic, Deal with the canopy or whatever once your at safe altitude!

Check lists are great, essential, but do we teach how to handle the crap once we stepped into it! First rule, undivided attention to flying the ship when something unexpected happens. We have all seen the panic of guys with unlatched canopies, how bout guys who panic when they loose their airspeed ( seen a guy crash on takeoff due to this panic), or encounter the wasp biting their neck on takeoff, or the snake in the cockpit/rat/mouse. Fly the ship!!!!!!! FIRST, then sort out the stuff when ya got some altitude. Sprung canopies, no airspeed, wasp bit etc aint gonna kill you or someone else, but a panic and loss of control will!

Fact, some sprung open canopies can be reclosed and saved by yawing hard in the direction away from the hinge side. The side and top lid of agcats are known to pop open regularly. We just fly the plane, then when safely clear of the ground/obstacles, yaw hard left to get the top lid to come down n latch, then yaw hard right to get the window to come up n latch. Same goes for the old schweizer 2-22. A hard yaw will keep the canopy from springing over or can help a guy get it back over where it belongs and once the shock is over a guy can get ahold of it and latch it or hold it till landed.

Needless accidents, needless and tragic loss of life. We all need to sit up, pay attention, rethink how/what we teach, and also what we present on biannuals. We simulate rope breaks, have you ever covered an airspeed and had to fly a tow-release-landing without? How about a guy in the back seat who screams out just after breaking ground? How dod the front seater react, how would you react? Panic pull of the stick? Trying to turn around n look back while just above the ground? Bad news!
Think about it.


Dan