Glider pilot dies from crash injuries

Glider instructor Joe Rasymas died last week of complications from injuries he received after the glider he was flying hit a wire Sept. 12 near Douglas County's maintenance yard at Minden-Tahoe Airport.

Rasymas sustained both rib and back injuries from the accident. As a result, his breathing was shallow, leading to a bout with pneumonia. He subsequently slipped into a coma and died, said local pilot Jon Hannon.

"He flew corporate jets for McDonald's Corporation and when he retired from that, he came here to fly gliders," Hannon said. "He flew here as an instructor for 25 years and he's responsible for helping more people get their soaring ratings here than anyone else.

"He didn't have family here. He just worked and if someone needed training, he was there," Hannon said.

According to the preliminary report released by the National Transportation and Safety Board, Rasymas was taking off in a Burkhart Grob G-103A glider when the tow pilot reported that the glider's spoilers, a device used to create drag and thus cause the plane to descend, were deployed.

The tow pilot signalled to Rasymas to check his spoilers and the glider then moved to the left, causing a strain on the tow rope. The tow pilot indicated that the tow was terminated about 100 feet above ground level and he had not terminated it.

Rasymas turned back to the runway in an attempt to land on runway 12, but was unable to clear the telephone lines on the western perimeter.

The glider struck the telephone pole, lines, and a transformer before coming to rest upright inside the airport boundary, the report said.

Rasymas was flying with Las Vegas resident Tim Carlson.