- Date
- August 24, 1985, 17:43 local (22:43 UTC)
- Place
- Abilene, TX
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N164RBValentin Taifun 17E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850824040079A
- Case key
- 21568
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 glider was thermaling in a slow right climbing turn about 600 feet above ground level. Witnesses stated it started a right spiraling descent and the nose suddenly dropped until it was in a near vertical attitude. The spiral then developed into a tight right hand spin which continued until ground impact occurred. The witness estimated the altitude at 300 feet above the ground when the spin started. Several different pilots who are quite familiar with glider operation stated no pilot should attempt thermaling (receiving adequate lift for flight from rising air currents) unless his altitude is at least 1000 feet above ground level.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N164RB
- Reported as
- Valentin Taifun 17E
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 1044
- Airframe hours
- 35
- Engine
- Limbach L 2000 EB 1.B, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Raymond E. Boyt
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Special, Special flight (Special)
- Departed
- ABI · Abilene, TX
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,247 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ABI
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.