Accident Overview
On July 17, 2010, at approximately 1610 mountain daylight time, an experimental Parker RS-15 Sailplane, registration N15LQ, struck a mountain near Marysvale, Utah. The private pilot-owner was operating the glider under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the glider was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area flight, and no flight plan had been filed.
Flight History
The glider departed Parowan Airport in Parowan, Utah, around 1245. It joined a group of three other gliders heading northbound, with the pilot intending to return to Parowan. The last known communication with the accident pilot occurred while the flight was southbound after making a northern turn at Salina, Utah, approximately 80 nautical miles from Parowan. As the flight approached an area about 15 miles northwest of Marysvale, the accident pilot indicated he would proceed southbound along the hills west of Marysvale toward Junction, Utah.
During this leg, the accident pilot reported a significant loss of altitude—roughly 5,000 feet—from 14,000 feet to 9,700 feet over a period of 3 to 5 minutes. He stated to another glider pilot that he would divert to the airport at Junction. Shortly thereafter, the accident pilot radioed that the glider had lost additional altitude and, if unable to climb, he would land in fields west of Marysvale. He also instructed his ground crew to await further instructions at Junction airport.
Wreckage and Recovery
The pilot failed to return by 2230, prompting a family concerned alert notice (ALNOT) on July 18. The Paiute County Sheriff's Department located the accident site around 0930 the following morning. The site was about 1 mile north of Bouillon Canyon, on the side of a 12,000-foot mountain. The glider came to rest inverted on a small plateau at the 7,800-foot level on a slope. The debris field consisted of glider components, all contained near the main wreckage.
A handheld global positioning system (GPS) was recovered from the accident site and sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory for examination. The GPS unit sustained impact damage, preventing any recorded data from being retrieved.
Communications and Weather Observations
Another glider pilot, the last known person to speak with the accident pilot, reported that strong winds from the southwest were present at the time of the accident. He also observed lenticular clouds on the east side of the mountains where the accident glider was found.