Glider pilot dies in Craig County
NEW CASTLE – After almost 50 years of relatively smooth sailing the skies over Craig County, a gilder pilot died Sunday afternoon.
Federal Aviation Authority officials said Meir Schneller died after the tow rope between the engineless craft and the plane taking it aloft apparently broke and the glider crashed into trees.
Schneller, 59, was a member of the Blue Ridge Soaring Society and a professor who taught finance at Virginia Tech. The BRSS owns gliders such as the one Schneller was in when the accident happened. It operates out of the New Castle International gliderport on Rt. 311, adjacent to Lanier Frantz’ farm.
The FAA is investigating the accident, which happened about 2:45 p.m., according to Virginia State Police Trooper D.S. Charles.
It was a rare accident at the BRSS’s gliderport in the years since the society moved to the site in 1963.
The society’s operated out of the New River Valley Airport in its early years. The BRSS usually holds events on weekends, and at least once a year, sponsors a large event that attracts pilots and glider enthusiasts from all over the East Coast and other areas.
Gliders are towed into the sky by small planes, before glider pilots release the rope and glide in the skies over New Castle and beyond.
The crash happened when the plane was on its way up to be released, FAA officials said.
Editor’s note: Although preliminary information indicated the broken tow rope caused the crash which was thought to be the cause of the pilot’s death, a FAA report filed April 20 said before the rope broke the glider was not climbing as expected and the tow plane pilot tried contacting the glider but received no response. See the link and reader’s comment below, saying he believes the gilder pilot could have been dead before the rope broke.
This did not happen because the rope broke. Read the NTSB report here. http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20110410X30503&key=1
Glider pilots train to deal with a broken tow rope. This man was perhaps, dead before the rope broke. The L-33 was out of control on tow. As a glider pilot and tow pilot I would of cut him free for being so out of place on the tow. Sorry for the loss for the people that knew and loved him. The tow pilot can not “Save” a glider pilot but the glider pilot can sure kill the tow pilot.