Distar Cz As D 13/15 SUN DANCER accident near Boulder City, Nevada, February 24, 2022
On February 24, 2022 at about 9:40 pm local time, a 2017 Distar Cz As D 13/15 SUN DANCER (glider), registered N588V, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Boulder City, Nevada (Boulder City Muni airport). It was a positioning 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 clearance from powerlines while maneuvering, which resulted in a wire strike and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment from alcohol consumption and his use of diphenhydramine before the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 24, 2022 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Boulder City, Nevada · Boulder City Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Distar Cz As D 13/15 SUN DANCER, built 2017 · all D 13/15 SUN DANCERs on the register
- Registration
- N588V · registry record · serial 145/13DF
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed in the motorglider and impacted powerlines and terrain near the airport shortly thereafter. An individual who interacted with the pilot before the accident flight reported that “something was off” and that the pilot “seemed a little woozy.” A witness near the accident site reported seeing a low-flying airplane and stated that the engine sounded normal; however, she did not see the accident. Postaccident examination of the glider revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicological testing of the pilot detected impairing levels of ethanol and diphenhydramine consistent with the pilot having recently consumed alcohol before the flight. Therefore, it is likely that the pilot’s impairment from consuming alcohol contributed to his failure to maintain clearance from power lines. Diphenhydramine is available over-the-counter in many products used to treat colds, allergies, as well as insomnia because of its strong sedating effects. Patients are advised not to use diphenhydramine with ethanol because that increases drowsiness. Diphenhydramine alone would have caused drowsiness and diminished reaction time and performance; in combination with ethanol, these effects would be enhanced. Thus, the effects from the pilot’s use of diphenhydramine contributed to 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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Alcohol › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › OTC medication › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,418 hours in all
- Last flight review: September 7, 2021
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 27, 2021
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS2 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 5,103 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 5°F (-15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 1:35 pm from KBVU, 2 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KBVU 242135Z AUTO 15008KT 10SM CLR 09/M15 A3021 RMK AO2
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 WPR22FA109.