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Pilot of Stricken Glider Parachutes to Safety

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A pilot safely parachuted onto a hospital parking garage in downtown Reno after severe mountain wave turbulence tore the wings off his glider.
  • The pilot, Bob Spielman, sustained only minor injuries despite the critical in-flight breakup of his aircraft.
  • The glider's fuselage crashed into an alley, damaging parked cars, while one wing was found in a city park, with the other remaining unlocated.
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Talk about a lucky landing. A pilot parachuted to safety onto the top of a hospital parking garage in downtown Reno, Nevada, on Sunday after an apparent encounter with severe mountain wave turbulence tore both the wings off his German-built Schleicher glider.

Longtime glider enthusiast Bob Spielman was reportedly attempting to return to Minden-Tahoe Airport about 40 miles south of Reno when the strong turbulence snapped the wings from his ASW 27 glider like a toy.

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