What happened
On February 24, 2022, a Distar CZ AS Sun Dancer motorglider, registration N588V, crashed near Boulder City, Nevada. The flight was being operated under Part 91 as a personal flight.
Data from ADS-B and L3Harris' OpsVue indicated the aircraft departed Boulder City Municipal Airport (BVU) at approximately 13:15 local time. The aircraft climbed to 2,85 and entered a left turn, reaching 3,100 feet MSL. The aircraft then began an easterly descent, and contact was lost at 13:19 local time at an altitude of 2,375 feet MSL, roughly one mile northwest of the accident site.
A witness working at a nearby solar farm observed the glider circling at a low altitude, flying between the height of power lines and slightly higher. The witness noted the engine sounded normal. Shortly after, she observed black smoke south of the solar farm.
First responders found that the aircraft had struck three power lines that were approximately 60 feet above the ground. The main wreckage, consisting of the cockpit and forward fuselage, came to rest upright at an elevation of 1,869 feet MSL. The pilot sustained 1 fatal injury.
The investigation
An examination of the recovered airframe and engine showed no mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to all primary controls, though several separations were noted due to the impact or recovery process.
Prior to the flight, an employee of a local fixed base operator (FBO) noted the pilot appeared "woozy" despite clear speech. Additionally, while securing a rental vehicle previously used by the pilot, the same employee discovered an open beer can and the odor of alcohol in the car.
Postmortem toxicology testing of the pilot revealed a peripheral blood ethanol concentration of 0.270 gm/dL and a vitreous fluid concentration of 0.308 gm/dL. The testing also detected the presence of the antihistamine diphenhydramine at 100 ng/mL in the peripheral blood. Methanol was also detected in the blood and urine.