No fatalities

30 Dec 2008: STEMME GMBH & CO S-10 — San Jose, CA

San Jose, CA, United States

On 30 Dec 2008, a STEMME GMBH & CO S-10 was involved in an aviation accident near San Jose, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from an obstacle during taxi. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 6 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A motor glider's left wing tip contacted a hangar while taxiing to the active runway, causing the aircraft to spin and collide with the hangar, resulting in substantial wing damage.

Accident Details

The pilot of a motor glider reported that after landing, he taxied to a transient parking area with the wings in a folded position. Following parking, he unfolded the wings and began taxiing toward the active runway. To avoid contact with hangars on the left side, the pilot steered to the right of the center line.

While taxiing, the pilot observed three airplanes in the run-up area ahead. Shortly thereafter, the glider's left wing tip made contact with a hangar. The impact caused the glider to spin to the left and subsequently collide with the hangar.

Damage

The left wing sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence.

Contributing factors

Awareness of conditionPilot