Motor Glider Crash at Slide Mountain.
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Motor Glider Crash at Slide Mountain.
""It is with deep sorrow that I confirm the passing of Sergio Colacevich and Jim Alton in the crash of Sergio’s and Mike Mayo’s Duo Discus yesterday. We have no details of the how or why, only the result, which took place Saturday September 2nd near the base of Slide Mountain in rugged terrain.
We are maintaining constant contact with Amy Colacevich and Millie Alton (who is at the glider port). We will provide updates as they become known.
Please keep both our dear friends in your hearts and prayers.""
""Richard Pearl
Vice President, TTSA""
If you want rumours, eyewitness reports were that the motor glider was performing aerobatics, under power, in front of people on the mountain, at the hanglider take off, when the motor glider broke up at low ground clearance.
We are maintaining constant contact with Amy Colacevich and Millie Alton (who is at the glider port). We will provide updates as they become known.
Please keep both our dear friends in your hearts and prayers.""
""Richard Pearl
Vice President, TTSA""
If you want rumours, eyewitness reports were that the motor glider was performing aerobatics, under power, in front of people on the mountain, at the hanglider take off, when the motor glider broke up at low ground clearance.
Gnome de PPRuNe
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Quote below from another forum which sounds like a sensible theory... Could severe rotor or some similar weather phenomenon have contributed to an airframe failure? I would have thought they might have had time to bail out. Very sad.
They were last seen at 14K over Mount Rose few minutes before they were observed 5 miles east at around 9500 feet when the glider broke apart either due to flutter or high G. From Mt Rose they were suppose to go west to start the task as it was a local contest day. So we know they had no reason to dive 5 miles east and do acro. Neither of them was known to do acro, especially not low in the mountains and during a contest. What was observed by the witnesses is a glider out of control at its final stage before breaking up in the air which can certainly look like aerobatics. Similarly they had no reason to try an airstart high over the mountains. The flutter noise may have sounded like a motor.
That's all we know and I doubt we will ever know more as the fire consumed the glider.
That's all we know and I doubt we will ever know more as the fire consumed the glider.
Last edited by treadigraph; 5th Sep 2018 at 14:29.
