Schempp-Hirth DISCUS A accident near Palmerton, Pennsylvania, November 28, 1999
On November 28, 1999 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth DISCUS A (glider), registered N117TB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Palmerton, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to delay his landing. A factor related to the accident was the loss of thermal lift.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 1999 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Palmerton, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth DISCUS A · all DISCUS As on the register
- Registration
- N117TB · registry record · serial 17
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While ridge soaring, the pilot elected to delay his landing back to the airport. The sun became low on the horizon, and the glider began to loose lift. The pilot attempted to fly the glider close to a ridgeline in an attempt to gain lift, but could not locate the ridgeline due to a glare through the windscreen. The glider began to descend and the pilot performed a forced landing to a parking lot. The sun set below the horizon at 1637.
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: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,735 hours in all; 1,115 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 1,157 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 14N Beltzville PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from ABE, 14 miles away
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.