Accident Overview
A sailplane departed on a 40-minute scenic flight. It was released from the airplane tow at 8,000 feet. The sailplane later collided with mountainous terrain at about 6,000 feet MSL.
Passenger Statements
According to passenger statements, the sailplane reached a height of 14,000 feet MSL. They also stated that near the end of the flight time, the pilot descended through clouds.
Witness Account
An ocean/atmosphere scientist and glider pilot was flying in the same area near the accident time. He stated that the day was dominated by powerful, yet rapidly changing lee wave systems, producing 10 to 20 knot updrafts and downdrafts in the coastal mountain ranges of the lower Southern California Bight. He noted that the lee wave structure is normally very steady and reliable. Based on about 1,800 hours of flying the wave, he believed that this unusual day was a 1 in 1,000 occurrence changing minute by minute. He reported that on three separate occasions, he encountered abrupt disintegration of a well-ordered non-hydrostatic wave, which resulted in the immediate loss of 7,000 to 10,000 feet of altitude.