- Date
- July 8, 1987, 14:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hobbs, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N71JDSchempp-Hirth Nimbus II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870708032579A
- Case key
- 17264
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
The pvt plt was flying in a national soaring contest. The glider was towed to 2000 feet AGL and released. The plt reported making a climbing right turn after release, however he noticed that the control stick was more aft than normal. As the flight progressed, the stick came to a full aft position. The plt was unable to get any up elevator control response. The altitude had deteriorated to 1300 feet AGL. The plt bailed out successfully. The acft inverted, entered a flat spin and crashed. The plt reported that he believed the elevator control was inadvertently assembled improperly. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal evidence to explain reported loss of elevator control.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N71JD
- Reported as
- Schempp-Hirth Nimbus II
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 45
- Airframe hours
- 490
- Engine
- None NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James M. Stabler
- Registered owner
- Stabler, James M
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1987
- Departed
- HBB · Hobbs, NM
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
- Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 758 total · 378 in this make and model · 758 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HOB, 2 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.