History of Flight
On June 22, 2014, about 1430 mountain daylight time, an experimental amateur-built ASC Spirit Glider, N127JK, impacted terrain about one-half mile southeast of Cedar Valley Airport (UT10), 10 miles west of Lehi, Utah. The glider was owned and operated by the pilot/builder as a visual flight rules personal local flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The solo pilot received fatal injuries. The glider departed UT10 about 1350.
Witnesses reported that the glider was circling to land on runway 35. During the descent, the pilot made several steep turns. When the airplane was about 30 to 40 feet above the ground, the right wing dropped and the glider suddenly nosed into the ground short of the runway.
The tow-plane pilot reported that he towed the glider to about 7,500 feet mean sea level, where the pilot released. The tow pilot then landed back at the airfield and met with another glider pilot he was preparing to tow. He stated that the accident glider made several circles southeast of the airport and then announced over the radio that he was setting up to land on runway 35. It appeared the glider was coming in too steep; he watched as the turns continued to steepen and then the glider descended straight down at an "almost vertical attitude."
Another witness reported seeing the glider from a distance at about 500-800 feet above the ground, circling back towards the airport, then lost sight. When he saw it again, it appeared to be 30 to 40 feet above the ground; he saw it crash south of the airport.
A third witness reported that the glider was coming in to land and made a turn; it looked like the glider stalled and crashed nose first.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a glider rating. He received a third-class medical certificate on October 17, 1995, with the limitation for corrective lenses. No personal flight records were discovered; the pilot's total flying experience was estimated to be about 350 total flight hours.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was an experimental amateur-built ASC, single-seat, Spirit glider, built by the pilot in 2007. The pilot/builder held a Repairman Experimental Aircraft certificate. Maintenance records showed that the last condition inspection (annual equivalent) was completed by the pilot/builder on May 18, 2013. At that time, the glider had accrued a total of 285 flight hours.
Meteorological Information
The closest official weather reporting station, about 7 miles northwest of the accident site, reported sky condition clear, temperature 86 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 36 degrees, altimeter setting 29.95 inches of mercury, wind variable at 4 knots, and visibility 15 miles. The density altitude was calculated to be 7,874 feet.
Wreckage and Impact Information
According to a Utah County Deputy dispatched to the accident site, upon arrival he found the glider about one-quarter to one-half mile south of the airport. The glider was oriented with the nose pointing southwest. There were imprints in the ground under each wing. Damage was present to the tail, cockpit, left wing, and nose. Scattered debris appeared mostly in front of the glider. The pilot's seat and pilot were located outside of the glider; the pilot was wearing a parachute.
An FAA air safety inspector examined the glider and stated that all major components were present, and no mechanical anomalies were found. Photographs taken at the accident site showed the glider upright on the dirt in a large expanse of flat desert landscape. No ground scars were visible at the point of impact. The glider's composite construction showed compression fracturing up and aft in the nose/cockpit section, consistent with impact at a steep nose-down angle. The cockpit showed a pronounced bend to the left forward of the aft bulkhead. The right wing appeared relatively intact; the left wing showed compression aft and separation forward at the wing-root. The vertical stabilizer had folded forward with compression fracturing at the joint with the tail-cone.
Medical and Pathological Information
A postmortem examination of the pilot was completed under the authority of the Utah Department of Health. The pilot's cause of death was attributed to multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicological examination completed by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory found no anomalies.