Competition Accident Could Have Been A LOT Worse

See and avoid... especially when one knows that they're going to be in close proximity to other aircraft... like conditions found during a competition sailplane event. This Utah contest nearly claimed two pilots when they both partook of the same thermal...

NTSB Identification: WPR10LA294A
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, June 15, 2010 in Parowan, UT
Aircraft: SCHLEICHER ALEXANDER GMBH & CO ASH 26 E, registration: N455S
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On June 15, 2010, at 1533 mountain daylight time, a Schleicher Alexander GMBD ASH 26E glider, N455S, and a Schempp-Hirth Ventus 2CT glider, N514TW, were involved in a mid-air collision about 75 miles northeast of Parowan, Utah. Neither pilot was injured. Both pilots were the sole occupants of their respective gliders. The ASH 26E sustained substantial damage, but the Ventus 2CT was not damaged. Both pilots were operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions. Both gliders departed Parowan, Utah about three hours prior to the collision, and Parowan was the planned final destination for both pilots. No flight plan had been filed.

According to both pilots, they were competing in a glider competition task that required them to depart a point near Parowan, fly to a point about 90 miles northeast of Parowan, and then to return to Parowan for landing. Both pilots where flying back to Parowan after reaching the turnaround point when they entered the same thermal and began to climb. During their first full 360 degree turn in the thermal, the left wing of the ASH 26E and the nose of the Ventus 2CT came in contact. The impact resulted in the separation of the outboard three feet of the wing of the ASH 26E, but the Ventus 2CT remained undamaged. The pilots of both gliders were able to return to Parowan, where they both completed uneventful landings.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov