- Date
- January 1, 1986, 16:23 local (23:23 UTC)
- Place
- Alamogordo, NM
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N166JDSchempp-Hirth VENTUS-B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860101000039A
- Case key
- 16910
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Upon returning to the arpt, the plt decided to make a fly-by. The plt reported that while on a modified downwind at an alt of aprx 50 ft AGL, the glider which he was piloting encountered adverse winds and downdrafts. Control of the acft was lost and it descended rapidly to ground contact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N166JD
- Reported as
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-B
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 209
- Airframe hours
- 186
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jim Day
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 4, 1985
- Departed
- Alamogordo, NM
- Airport
- Alamagordo-White Sands Rg, runway 21, 7,005 × 150 ft, dirt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 774 total · 6 in this make and model · 676 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 329° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HMN, 5 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.