Soaring Safety Foundation

The Soaring Safety Foundation (SSF) is the Training and Safety arm of the Soaring Society of America (SSA). Our mission is to provide instructors and pilots with the tools needed to teach/learn both the stick & rudder skills and the Aeronautical Decision Making skills needed to safely fly a glider. We also provide information and analysis of incident and accident trends in order to develop better training tools.

Flight Training
Videos and Scenario Database

These videos are introductory in nature and are geared to learning to soar, or a new soaring skill.

Flight Safety
Videos and Incident Database

These videos are safety oriented and appropriate for glider pilots of any skill level.

Visit the Soaring Safety Foundation's Youtube Channel
The SSA's YouTube Video Playlist

The Soaring Incident Database is now available to help pilots, safety officers, clubs, and commercial operators develop new programs that can help prevent incidents from becoming major accidents. See more incidents by searching the database or register a new incident.

Region	Pilot Certificate	Pilot Injuries	Passenger Injuries	Type of Flight	Launch Method	Type of Aircraft
East	CFI	None	None	Local	Aero Tow	Cirrus
Incident Activity	Damage to Aircraft	Damage to Canopy	Incident Date	Incident Time	Weather	SSA Member
Flight	Minor		1992-09-19	0800-1000	Clear	Yes
Incident Description	Takeoff roll at this airport normally involved transitioning from grass to pavement and back to grass (crossing a taxiway). Upon the first transition - grass to pavement - the gear collapsed. Minor damage to gear doors, gear was inspected on-site by a mechanic, and returned to service same day. Cosmetic repairs to doors and gelcoat performed later.
Other Comments	Apparently the gear locking mechanism became dislodged at the very minor bump, possibly (but never clearly established) because the locking mechanism, difficult to assess from the cockpit, in this particular model was not completely in place. More careful preflight after assembly is complete could probably have prevented this incident.