History of Flight
On May 26, 2017, about 1523 Pacific daylight time, a Schleicher ASW 28-18E motorglider, registration N63KR, impacted terrain about 9 miles west-northwest of Ephrata Municipal Airport (EPH), Ephrata, Washington. The pilot was fatally injured, and the glider sustained substantial damage. The glider was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which originated from EPH about 1420.
The pilot obtained a tow to altitude from an airplane operated by a soaring club at EPH. The pilot's tow card indicated release from tow at an altitude of 3,000 ft above ground level.
The glider was equipped with a PowerFLARM portable GPS device/transponder that documented flight track, speed, and altitude. Data from the device showed a flight track beginning northwest of EPH about 1436. The glider made several 360° turns and flew generally westward until about 15 nautical miles from the airport, then established a generally eastward route with additional 360° turns. The data ended about 9 miles west-northwest of EPH about 1523. The glider reached its highest altitude, about 8,500 ft GPS, about 1447, then slowly descended, leveling off temporarily about 3,900 ft before continuing descent. Throughout the flight, speed varied between 40 and 108 knots. During the last 8 minutes of recorded data, speed gradually decreased from about 76 knots to about 40 knots. No witnesses were reported.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a glider rating, issued July 24, 2016. He did not hold an FAA medical certificate, nor was he required to for glider operations. The pilot started glider training in August 2015 in Deer Park, Washington, and finished in Moriarty, New Mexico. According to the pilot's wife, his training was in two-seated gliders including a Lark, DG505, and Grob 103. The accident flight was the pilot's second flight in both the accident glider and in a single-seat glider.
Aircraft Information
The pilot purchased the glider on July 26, 2016; his first flight in it occurred on May 7, 2017 from EPH. The glider was equipped with a SOLO 2350, 2-stroke engine, and has a stall speed of about 38 knots.
Airport Information
EPH is a non-tower-controlled facility located on an open plateau at an elevation of 1,276 ft mean sea level. The airport has three hard surfaced runways, one of which is for glider use only between April 1 and November 1. The accident flight was the pilot's second flight from EPH.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The glider came to rest in a dry, newly-plowed field sloped downward toward tall vegetation. The main wreckage came to rest about 75 ft from the vegetation, with the nose pointed toward the vegetation at a magnetic heading of about 324°. About 10 ft in front and slightly right of the nose was a small impact crater and a long narrow trench extending from near the crater. The forward fuselage sustained heavy crush damage; the cabin area was slightly crushed and widened. The wings remained intact and attached. The right wing had a dusting of dirt along the outboard leading edge, and the inboard trailing edge exhibited delamination. The left wing was shifted forward at the fuselage attachment point. Both airbrakes were found retracted. The engine was stowed and secured with no damage; only a small amount of fuel was removed from the fuel tank. One propeller blade had a line of dirt consistent with the crack of the engine compartment doors. The propeller moved side to side with no binding or grinding. No fuel was observed in the tank, but a small amount leaked during recovery. The aft fuselage was almost completely fracture-separated slightly forward of the empennage. The empennage was bent to the right and came to rest in the opposite direction. Control continuity was established throughout the airframe.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Grant County Coroner performed an autopsy on the pilot. The cause of death was blunt impact of the trunk and extremities. The FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory performed forensic toxicology with negative results for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and volatiles. Positive results were specified for atorvastatin, bupropion, losartan, and metoprolol in liver and blood (cavity). Atorvastatin (Lipitor) is a cholesterol-lowering agent; losartan and metoprolol treat hypertension; these three are not considered impairing. Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban) is an antidepressant with warnings including dose-dependent seizure risk and potential impairment of mental and physical functioning. Further medical information, such as the reason for bupropion use or underlying depression, could not be obtained.