I.C.A. Brasov IS-29D2 accident near Tehachapi, California, May 22, 1999
On May 22, 1999 at about 7:25 pm local time, a I.C.A. Brasov IS-29D2 (glider), registered N8217A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tehachapi, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inability to maintain a proper glide path due to an inadvertent encounter with an area of high sink rate conditions. The mountainous/hilly nature of the terrain which limited the pilot's selection of a landing site is a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 22, 1999 · about 7:25 pm local time
- Place
- Tehachapi, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- I.C.A. Brasov IS-29D2
- Registration
- N8217A · no longer on the register · serial 207
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he spoke with other pilots before the flight to determine the soaring conditions. The pilots he spoke with reported that the lift conditions were not great but were generally satisfactory. A glider instructor pilot told him that there were areas of lift and areas of sink out there, but that there shouldn't be a problem making the airport from where he was let go from the tow plane. The pilot stated that after release from the tow plane he experienced 'a little bit of lift and then a huge sink rate and couldn't make it over the ridge' that separated him from the airport. He realized that he would not make it back to the airport and attempted to make a forced landing southeast of the airport and collided with ground obstructions during the landing roll.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,025 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 7,800 as pilot in command; 1,800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 179 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 22, 1998; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 794 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L94 at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.