- Date
- August 24, 1986, 14:05 local (18:05 UTC)
- Place
- Middletown, NY
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N7XTSchempp-Hirth Ventus A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860824041809A
- Case key
- 30222
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 sailplane was being towed into the air. It was observed to come off the ground in a tail low attitude and then start porposing. The aircraft was released from the tow plane and impacted. The pilot was fatally injured and the aircraft destroyed. No evidence of a pre-existing failure or malfunction was noted. The aircraft was carrying both water and lead shot for ballast, however the breakup of the aircraft on impact prevented a determination of the aircraft weight and balance at the time of the accident. The plts flt time was not reported or available.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7XT
- Reported as
- Schempp-Hirth Ventus A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 84
- Airframe hours
- 700
- Engine
- None NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert L. Robertson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1986
- Departed
- 06N · Middletown, NY
- Airport
- 06N · Randall
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 15 knots, gusting 32
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.