- Date
- May 4, 1986, 16:50 local (22:50 UTC)
- Place
- Longmont, CO
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N40ZGlaser-Dirks DG-400
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860504019689A
- Case key
- 16958
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
This experimental glider has a stowable 2 cycle eng mounted behind the cockpit. When the eng is stowed the glide ratio is about 40:1. When the eng is deployed but not running, the glide ratio is about 10:1. While returning after a 4 hr and 50 min flt the plt decided eng pwr would be needed to reach the arpt. He deployed the eng but it would not start. An off arpt forced landing was necessary and the acft hit a tree.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40Z
- Reported as
- Glaser-Dirks DG-400
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 4-144
- Airframe hours
- 43
- Engine
- Rotax 2 CYCLE, 43 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Howard W. Selby, III
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 31, 1985 · 43 hours before
- Departed
- 1V5 · Boulder, CO
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 1,278 total · 43 in this make and model · 79 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BJC, 19 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.