Akihiro Hirao, a glider pilot from Japan flying near Carson City, Nevada, survived a collision in a glider at 16,000 ft. with a Hawker XP800, a business jet.
Glider Pilot Survives Mid-Air With Jet
Collision with glider forces jet’s crash-landing; none hurt
Glider and Private Jet Collide Mid-Air
All involved survive mid-air crash (this one has the insane photo)
** Report created 8/29/2006 Record 9
********************************IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 879QS Make/Model: H25B Description: HAWKER 800 XP
Date: 08/28/2006 Time: 2211Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Minor Mid Air: Y Missing:
Damage: SubstantialLOCATION
City: CARSON CITY State: NV Country: USDESCRIPTION
MID AIR COLLISION BETWEEN SCHLEICHER N7729 AND HAWKER N879QS (OPERATING AS
EJA879) AT 16,000 FEET, 42 MI SE RENO, NV. PILOT OF GLIDER BAILED OUT,
CARSON CITY, NVINJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 2 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 1 Unk:
# Pass: 3 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:WEATHER: 22017G22 10 SM FEW 100 34/-5 A3004
OTHER DATA
Activity: Business Phase: Descent Operation: Air CarrierFAA FSDO: RENO, NV (WP11) Entry date: 08/29/2006
more articles here at Google News.
ahh, the problem of gliders in ‘normal’ airspace with no radio gear…
I’m never more nervous than when flying near known gliding spots. They’re fast, have a small profile, are really difficult to see when ‘scanning’ the horizon and generally don’t have transponders which makes them invisible to radar.
All that said, I can totally understand why people do glide