Preliminary report issued in midair collision

Staff Reports

A glider pilot told investigators he was in a spiraling turn at about 50 knots above Mount Siegel when he turned south and suddenly saw a jet aircraft heading toward him.

Akihiro Hirao said he had about a second between the time he spotted the corporate jet and the collision that took off the end of his right wing at 3:06 p.m. Aug. 28.

The collision sent the glider into a flat spin, allowing time for the Japanese pilot to clear the canopy and jump to safety.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued its preliminary report on the collision Monday.

Onboard the jet, pilot Annette Saunders said she spotted some movement out of the corner of her eye, looked left and saw the glider coming right at her.

"As she looked left, she noted a glider filling the windshield," the report said. "She moved the control yoke down and to the right in an attempt to avoid the glider, but to no avail."

Hirao had been flying earlier in the day and was staying in the area over the Pine Nuts to familiarize himself with the Schleicher ASW27-18 glider. He took off from Minden at 1 p.m. and was riding the thermals when the collision occurred.

The Raytheon Hawker 800XP corporate jet was on its way from Carlsbad, Calif., to Reno when the accident occurred. They had just been given clearance to descend from 16,000 feet to 11,000 feet. The aircraft were just under 16,000 feet when the collision occurred.

The co-pilot told investigators he saw the pilot's side of the cockpit explode inward.

While struggling to maintain control of the jet, the pilot and co-pilot spotted the Carson City Airport and landed there.

"The crew entered a straight-in approach for runway 27 at Carson City and attempted to lower the landing gear," the report said. "The landing gear would not extend normally and due to the lack of instrumentation, the captain was not satisfied with the aircraft's speed and altitude. The airplane touched down on the runway centerline and came to rest uneventfully."

Air traffic controllers told the investigator it is common for them to bring flights in from the south, east of Mustang to leave room for departing aircraft over Carson Valley.

They also said it is common for arriving and departing air traffic to obtain a traffic alert warning from gliders operating in the area.

Glider operators told investigators that the Pine Nuts are a common location because the thermal lift can send gliders to altitudes of 18,000 feet.

Generally if a glider goes higher, it is required to have a transponder to alert other aircraft.

Both the pilot and co-pilot of the jet received minor injuries in the crash. Hiaro was fine until he hit the ground and was dragged by his parachute.

Hiaro said he waited near where he landed for an hour and a half before he started walking west toward Carson Valley. He had been walking 2 1/2 hours before he was found by searchers.