Crunch(es) Alert (USA)...

The soaring season is working its way north; a quick skim of the FAA Prelims
(4/14/12 AM) after several days of absence yielded 2 single-seat notices
entered 4/13/12. Thankfully, apparently no fatalities.

Assuming 100% entry accuracy (major assumption), this one *may* eventually
make the NTSB database (always their choice)...

begin cut-n-paste...
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: N133AS Make/Model: SDZ Description: SDZ-48 GLIDER
Date: 04/11/2012 Time: 2030

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Minor Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
City: LAKELAND State: FL Country: US

DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, LAKELAND, FL

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 1 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:


OTHER DATA
Activity: Pleasure Phase: Landing Operation: OTHER
end cut-n-paste...


(And with the data-entry assumption...) this one will probably NOT make the
NTSB database...

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IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: N990 Make/Model: FISH Description: HP-14 GLIDER
Date: 04/05/2012 Time: 2252

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
City: NAMPA State: ID Country: US

DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD, NAMPA, ID

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:


OTHER DATA
Activity: Pleasure Phase: Landing Operation: OTHER
end cut-n-paste...

If only we never had to land. Let's be careful out there, cuz physics never
rests and Mother Nature cares not about one's experience/currency/anything
else. It *could* happen to any of us...arguably the more likely if we're not
suitably on alert for those pesky landing patterns.

(For anyone taking umbrage at 'potential safety nazi-ism' I have no specific
knowledge [yet?] of the specifics of either crunch. The 'suitably on alert'
comment simply reflects decades of personal experience and a similar length of
time of spectator-direct-exposure experience to glider landing crunches; I've
yet to encounter a participant who claimed they would not have been able to do
better if immediately given a second chance.)

Bob W.