- Date
- July 2, 1991, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Marfa, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9999RSchempp-Hirth Ventus CM
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910702025589A
- Case key
- 23359
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
The pilot misjudged the approach. Factors were the high density altitude, the downdraft, and the dteriorted climb performance.
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 pilot of the motorized gilder encountered a downdraft from convective activity during initial climb out from the runway. The gilder was climbing at 150 to 200 feet per minute was 100 above ground when it started to descend at 200 feet per minute. The pilot attempted a landing in an open field, but struck a fence during the approach. The glider was powered by a two stroke 25HP engine and was operating with full water ballast at maximum gross weight. The density altitude ws estimated to be 9,000 feet when the accident occurred. The pilot was a competitor in the national motor glider competition.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9999R
- Reported as
- Schempp-Hirth Ventus CM
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 36
- Engine
- Solo 235B, 25 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Rogar N. Buchanan
- Registered owner
- Rogar N. Buchanan
- Airport
- MRF · Marfa Municipal, runway 21, 5,300 × 150 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
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 200 in this make and model · 1,440 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.