Schleicher ASW-19 accident near Dansville, New York, August 25, 2012
On August 25, 2012 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Schleicher ASW-19 (glider), registered N438AS, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Dansville, New York (Dansville Municiple Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain glider control while maneuvering. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment due to an over-the-counter sedating antihistamine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2012 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dansville, New York · Dansville Municiple Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW-19 · all ASW-19s on the register
- Registration
- N438AS · registry record · serial 19230
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the evening before the accident, the glider was assembled, and the pilot flew it for about 30 minutes uneventfully. On the day of the accident, after flying locally for about 3 hours, the glider was about 1 mile from the departure airport when witnesses reported that the glider started rolling back and forth into 90-degree banks. After three or four rolls, the glider descended nose-down to the ground and impacted a field in a flat attitude. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. About 3 years before the accident, the pilot underwent a procedure to repair an aneurysm of the ascending aorta combined with placement of a single vessel coronary artery bypass graft. He subsequently received a medical certificate and reported the surgery and that he was taking metoprolol (a beta blocker used to treat hypertension and prevent heart attacks), simvastatin (a cholesterol lowering drug), and lisinopril (a blood pressure medicine). Although the pilot's medical certificate had expired about 1 month before the accident, he was not required to possess a current medical certificate as a glider pilot. Before the accident flight, the pilot remarked to a friend that he was not feeling well. The friend added that the day was very hot and that the pilot did not drink water before the flight or bring any water with him. Autopsy results indicated that there was no evidence to suggest any direct effect of the pilot's cardiovascular disease (heart attack) in his ability to control the glider. Toxicological testing revealed levels of diphenhydramine in the pilot's blood that were well above therapeutic levels. Diphenhydramine is a sedating antihistamine used to treat allergy symptoms and as a sleep aid. It is probable that the cognitive and psychomotor impairment caused by diphenhydramine contributed to the pilot's loss of control in this accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during maneuvering
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Lateral/bank control › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › OTC medication › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 999,999 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,162 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 18, 2012; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 890 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: DSV Dansville NY at 4:30 pm
- Destination: DSV Dansville NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from DSV, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA12LA528.