- Date
- May 30, 1993, 10:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Buena Vista, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N173Schempp-Hirth Nimbus II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930530016129A
- Case key
- 18292
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure to follow procedures and directives when operating the flaps.
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
During the takeoff roll the pilot went from negative to positive flaps after the controls became effective. The flap transition was rapid and the glider began to oscillate in pitch. The oscillations became divergent and the glider rolled off on a wing and collided with the ground shortly after the safety rope parted. The pilot stated that he went from negative to positive flaps too quickly resulting in loss of control.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N173
- Reported as
- Schempp-Hirth Nimbus II
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 27
- Airframe hours
- 2,073
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kile, R. L.
- Registered owner
- Kile, R. L. And Crowl, C.L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 12, 1993 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- 7V1
- Destination
- 7V1
- Airport
- 7V1 · Buena Vista Municipal, runway 15, 9,000 × 48 ft, asphalt
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
- 47
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,617 total · 20 in this make and model · 1,434 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LXV, 30 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.