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	Student	None	None	Local	Aero Tow	SGS2-33A
Incident Activity	Damage to Aircraft	Damage to Canopy	Incident Date	Incident Time	Weather	SSA Member
Preflight	None		2018-09-29	1000-1200	Clear	Yes
Incident Description	A recently soloed student was preparing for a solo launch with rope connected and tow plane engine running. By happenstance a CFIG who had used the glider immediately before had misplaced his cell phone and decided to stop the launch so he could inspect the bilge of the glider for the lost phone. Upon opening the rear door he saw that the student had secured the rear seat cushions by looping the rear seat belt around the rear stick - severely limiting the stick's forward travel. The CFI terminated the launch. On interview the student maintained that she had done a control check - but clearly she had actually only achieved some slight aileron control movement and no elevator control. Had the launch continued a very serious accident for both the glider and tow plane would have occured. The student flew a dual instructional flight later that day.
Other Comments	This is difficult because it reflects a fundamental error by the young student on an issue that seems so obvious as to not require specific instruction. However, the club has instituted a policy that during ground towing operations the controls will only be secured via the front seat belts.