Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 31, 2023, about 1339 mountain daylight time, a Schleicher Alexander GmbH & Co ASH 26E motor glider, N50FU, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Wellington, Colorado. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The glider was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Flight track data transmitted from an onboard recorder showed the self-launching motor glider departed to the northwest from the Owl Canyon Gliderport (4CO2), Wellington, Colorado, at 1320 (see figure 1).

Figure 1. Flight track data from onboard recorder.
During the climb, the pilot performed several turns, and the glider reached a maximum GPS-derived altitude of about 7,800 ft at 1330. The flight track data showed the glider then entered a steady descent on a northwest track, turned 180°, and flew southwest for about 2 miles before it turned back to the west. The last recorded position at 1339:43 showed the glider on a track of about 296°, with a ground speed of 60 kts and a GPS altitude of 5,948 ft, which was about 250 ft above ground level. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot’s flight history and hours of flight experience were obtained from his FAA medical certificate applications and Online Contest (OLC) Glider Logbook because his pilot logbook was not located. The OLC Logbook contained uploaded glider flights since 2007. The pilot’s last equivalent flight review was an annual check required for his Colorado Soaring Association membership. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe Schleicher Alexander GmbH & Co ASH 26E motor glider is self-launching and of composite construction. It is equipped with an engine in the fuselage and a retractable propeller, which is mounted on a pylon that is raised and lowered out of the fuselage behind the cockpit. During normal operation, the propeller pylon is raised electrically to a vertical position before starting the engine. When the pilot is done using the engine to take off or obtain altitude, the propeller is stopped in a vertical position for stowing, and the pylon is then lowered to an engine cool-down position for a short time to allow cooling air to pass through the engine radiator. Once the engine is cool, the propeller pylon is stowed horizontally and faired in the fuselage.
During postaccident examination, the propeller pylon was found in the engine cool-down position, but the propeller was horizontal, and no indication was found that the mechanism that holds the propeller vertical for stowing had been engaged. The manufacturer stated that the position was unusual. Although the manufacturer did not have operational experience with the propeller in this configuration, it presumed the position of the propeller would not have had a significant effect on the flight characteristics of the accident glider, based on its knowledge that the propeller pylon has a marginal effect on the glider’s flight characteristics in either the fully extended or engine cool-down position.
The gl