Pzl-Swidnik PW-5 accident near Marana, Arizona, April 26, 2010
On April 26, 2010, a Pzl-Swidnik PW-5 (glider), registered N500JN, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Marana, Arizona. 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 find thermal lift. Contributing to the accident was the failure of a computer that provided glide information and vertical speed instrumentation as a result of an improperly routed electrical cable that caused a short in the electrical system and the pilot's lack of experience in the glider.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 2010 · cases in 2010
- Place
- Marana, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pzl-Swidnik PW-5 · all PW-5s on the register
- Registration
- N500JN · registry record · serial 1706010
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider pilot had been checked out in the glider the day of the accident and it was the first time she had flown this make and model. Approximately two hours into the flight, she smelled a burning rubber smell before all of the electronics ceased operating. She turned back to her departure airport, but due to her lack of experience she was unable to find a thermal and the glider continued to descend. During the forced off-field landing, the glider impacted trees and desert brush. Postaccident examination of the glider revealed that the cable supplying power to the removable data logger was routed improperly and had rubbed against a metal computer port, causing an electrical short and disabling the glide computer, global positioning system, and the vertical speed indicator.
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
- Electrical system malf/failure during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of lift during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Thermal lifting › Not specified
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Indicating/recording systems › Instrument panel › Inoperative other cases naming the instruments and avionics
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Electrical power system › (general) › Malfunction other cases naming the electrical power
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 62 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 24 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 2, 2009
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,834 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 10, 2010
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Tucson Soaring Club INC
The flight
- Departed from: AZ67 El Tiro AZ at 10:00 pm
- Destination: AZ67 El Tiro AZ
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from RYN, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on May 17, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Correspondence- Tucson Soaring Club | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N500JN on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Pzl-Swidnik PW-5 53 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Pzl-Swidnik 58 aircraft on the register
- EL Tiro · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 468 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,431 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR10CA215.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.