# Accident 19920531017409A: Sphrth VENTUSA, Tucson, AZ, May 31, 1992

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 31, 1992, 16:00 local time
- Place: Tucson, AZ
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 31.9003° N, 111.3600° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.9003&lon=-111.3600&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8KS, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8KS-1992-06-19) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Schempp-Hirth VENTUS A/16.6 (registry code 3802052, https://openairdocs.org/model/schempp-hirth-ventus-a-16-6) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SPHRTH VENTUSA
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,063 total, 2,125 in this make and model, 53 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX92LA225](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX92LA225) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19920531017409A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

RIGHT AILERON BECAME DISCONNECTED IN FLIGHT. UNCONTROLLED SPIRAL. BAILED OUT. SLIDE LOCK FITTING LUBED IN ERROR.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX92LA225](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX92LA225), May 31, 1992: Schempp-Hirth Ventus A/16.6 (N8KS), Tucson, AZ, destroyed. Probable cause: THE INFLIGHT DISCONNECTION OF THE RIGHT AILERON 'OTELLIER COUPLER FITTING DUE TO LUBRICANTS ON THE COUPLER SLIDE LOCK PLATE, AND THE FAILURE OF THE GLIDER MANUFACTURER TO INCLUDE APPROPRIATE…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.