Incident
On a flight near Truckee Airport, a midair collision occurred between an Aero Commander 690 (registration N840DC) and a Grob 102 glider (registration N22ZB). The collision happened while the Aero Commander was climbing through 10,000 feet mean sea level (msl) approximately 4 miles south of the airport.
Sequence of Events
The pilot of the Aero Commander announced the aircraft's departure on runway 28 over the unicom frequency of 122.8 MHz while taxiing. After departure, the pilot turned left and headed southeast in a climb. The glider had departed the airport about one hour earlier via aero tow and was orbiting left in a thermal. The glider pilot was monitoring the frequency 123.3 MHz, an air-to-air frequency used by glider pilots.
Moments before the collision, the Aero Commander pilot was tuning a navigation radio. He looked up and saw the glider in his windshield but was unable to avoid the collision. The glider pilot never saw the Aero Commander. The left wing of the Aero Commander struck the left wing and fuselage of the glider at an altitude of about 9,800 feet msl.
Aftermath
Despite the collision damage, both pilots were able to safely land their aircraft at Truckee Airport.