What happened
On December 6, 2024, at approximately 12:40 EST, a Schleicher ASW 24 glider, registration N244RW, was involved in a fatal accident near Vero Beach, Florida. The aircraft, owned by the Treasure Coast Soaring Club, departed New Hibiscus Airpark (X52) at approximately 11:40 for a local flight.
As the aircraft approached the airport at roughly 1,000 feet above ground level to enter the left downwind leg for runway 36, it appeared to lose airspeed. The glider entered a stall/spin, recovered at approximately 50 feet above ground level, and subsequently pitched up into a second stall/spin. The aircraft then descended in a nose-down attitude and struck a grass median between a divided highway about one-half mile northwest of X52. The pilot sustained 1 fatal injury.
The investigation
An on-scene examination showed the glider came to rest upright in the center of the grass median. The cockpit area was fragmented and displaced upward. The right wing had separated near midspan, with deformation noted on the leading edge of the separation area. The tail section was fractured and displaced to the right, with impact damage found on the elevator and horizontal stabilizer. The right aileron control tube was fractured at the wing separation point. While flight control continuity was established to the cockpit, the elevator control rod had separated at the aft fuselage area. All major components were accounted for at the site, and the wreckage was retained for further examination.