Alexander Schleicher GMBH & CO K 7 accident near Mocksville, North Carolina, July 6, 2014
On July 6, 2014 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1962 Alexander Schleicher GMBH & CO K 7 (glider), registered N9156, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Mocksville, North Carolina (Bahnson airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to install an additional cushion to elevate his passenger and his failure to insure the cushion would not interfere with the control stick movement resulting in limited movement of the elevator in flight and collision with a fence during an emergency off field landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 2014 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mocksville, North Carolina · Bahnson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Alexander Schleicher GMBH & CO K 7, built 1962
- Registration
- N9156 · no longer on the register · serial 7032
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that just prior to departing on the glider flight, an unsecured seat cushion was provided to his passenger in order to elevate his seating position and improve his view. After releasing from the tow plane, performing a 30-degree bank turn, and leveling the glider, the pilot was unable to move the control stick fully aft in the pitch axis. He attempted to troubleshoot the blocked flight control, and asked the passenger if he noted any obstructions, which he did not. During the subsequent forced landing, the pilot was unable to safely maneuver to the departure gliderport, and landed in an adjacent field where the glider struck a fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that his examination of the aft cockpit following the accident revealed the seat cushion had shifted during flight, blocked the control stick, and that the cushion's internal metal frame and the aft control stick displayed witness marks consistent with contact during flight.
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
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
- Flight control sys malf/fail during maneuvering defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Elevator tab control system › Not inspected
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 132 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 93 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,178 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 27, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: 43NC Mocksville NC
- Destination: 43NC Mocksville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from INT, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.