Rolladen Schneider LS-7WL accident near Tonasket, Washington, June 11, 2025
On June 11, 2025 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 1989 Rolladen Schneider LS-7WL (glider), registered N78AW, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Tonasket, Washington. 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 glider’s encounter with atmospheric conditions where the lift was not sufficient to maintain flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 2025 · about 11:30 pm local time · cases in 2025
- Place
- Tonasket, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rolladen Schneider LS-7WL, built 1989
- Registration
- N78AW · registry record · serial 7059
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot in the glider, during a cross-country flight, promising cloud formations did not provide lift, as he anticipated. The glider did not have sufficient altitude to reach the airport, and a forced landing ensued. During the landing roll, the glider’s wingtip contacted the gravel surface and precipitated a ground-loop. The glider sustained substantial damage to the aft fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of lift during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Thermal lifting › Effect on operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 74 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,275 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 5, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,394.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 835 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Departed from: S52 Winthrop WA at 7:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KOMK, 27 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KOMK 112353Z AUTO 21009KT 10SM CLR 33/06 A2970 RMK AO2 SLP048 T03330056 10339 20283 58011
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 21, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photograph | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | 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
- N78AW on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Rolladen Schneider 8 aircraft on the register
- Methow Valley State Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Washington 2,713 since 1982 · 362 in the last ten years
- Washington 10,644 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR25LA177.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.