- Date
- May 24, 1991, 17:46 local (May 25, 1991, 00:46 UTC)
- Place
- Minden, NV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N503VGlaser-Dirks DG-500M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910524017869A
- Case key
- 27220
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
An engine failure produced as a result of the pilot improperly adjusting the carburetor mixture jet.
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 certificated commercial pilot and a passenger were departing in a motorized glider on the third flight of the day for a personal flight in the local area. The glider's engine is a modified snow mobile design and is stowable. At about 150 feet above the ground, the engine lost power and the pilot maneuvered the glider toward an emergency landing area. During the landing, the empennage struck the edge of a ditch, severing the tail assembly. The pilot and passenger were not injured. After the first flight, the pilot adjusted the engine carburetor main and idle jets to a lean fuel/air mixture. Examination of the engine revealed a hole in the top of one of the cylinder pistons. The carburetor mixture is set at the factory and is only to be adjusted by trained personnel or an aviation mechanic.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N503V
- Reported as
- Glaser-Dirks DG-500M
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 5E24M12
- Airframe hours
- 12
- Engine
- Bombardier 535C, 60 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Geddings T. Robinson
- Registered owner
- Geddings T. Robinson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000 · 12 hours before
- Airport
- MEV · Douglas County, runway 3, 5,289 × 75 ft, dirt
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
- 52
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Expired
- Flight hours
- 2,585 total · 18 in this make and model · 2,527 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 8 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.