# Accident 20071026023789A: Sphrth VENTUSB166, Salida, CO, October 26, 2007

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 26, 2007, 14:00 local time
- Place: Salida, CO
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.4508° N, 106.0175° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.4508&lon=-106.0175&mi=10
- Aircraft: N36LB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N36LB-2008-04-16) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Schempp-Hirth VENTUS B/16.6 (registry code 3802061, https://openairdocs.org/model/schempp-hirth-ventus-b-16-6) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SPHRTH VENTUSB166
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 622 total, 256 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN08LA017](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN08LA017) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20071026023789A

## Narrative

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

(-23) AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT SITE EXAMINATION INDICATED THAT PILOT MAY HAVE ENTERED A LOW SPEED STALL/SPIN AT LOW ALTITUDE. WRECKAGE INDICATED A LOW SPEED, NEAR VERTICAL IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. AIRCRAFT FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACES WERE ACCOUNTED FOR AND ALL FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE FUNCTIONAL AT TIME OF IMPACT. ACCIDENT SITE IS AT THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN WITH GRADUALLY SLOPING TERRAIN. ELEVATION IS APPROX. 11,500 FT. DEBRIS FIELD WAS MINIMAL (LESS THAN 20 FOOT RADIUS). SURROUNDING TREES (20-30 FEET TALL, 4-6 INCHES IN DIA.) SHOWED NO SIGNS OF DAMAGE AT THEIR TOPS, HOWEVER, LIMBS OF 2-3 TREES SHOWED SHEARING VERTICALLY AT THE BASE OF THE LIMBS. WEATHER CONDITIONS AT TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE: WINDS CALM TO LIGHT FROM THE SOUTH, VISIBILITY 10 MI+, NO TURBULENCE AND VERY LITTLE LIFT (AS REPORTED BY OTHER PILOTS FLYING IN THE AREA AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT).

## 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 DEN08LA017](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN08LA017), Oct 26, 2007: Schempp-Hirth Ventus B/16.6 (N36LB), Salida, CO, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering resulting in an inadvertent stall and impact with terrain.

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.

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