- Date
- July 12, 1988, 14:35 local (21:35 UTC)
- Place
- Minden, NV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 8, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA reports
- 19880712031882A19880712031881A
- Case key
- 40844
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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
Acft were ascending in the same thermal during national soaring competition and collided in flight. N554T sustained loss of the horizontal tail in collision, followed by loss of control in flight. The pilot parachuted safely. N130JB sustained minor damage and landed safely. Pilots stated they had lost visual contact with each other.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N554T
- Reported as
- Schempp-Hirth Discus B
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 11
- Airframe hours
- 500
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Graham S. Thompson
- Registered owner
- Graham S. Thomson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 2, 1988 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- MEV
- Destination
- MEV
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.
- Registration
- N130JB
- Reported as
- Schempp-Hirth Discus A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 74
- Airframe hours
- 525
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John M. Byrd
- Registered owner
- John M Byrd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 25, 1988 · 135 hours before
- Departed
- MEV
- Destination
- MEV
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N554T
- Age
- 68
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 3,290 total · 325 in this make and model · 3,160 as pilot in command
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N130JB
- Age
- 53
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 4,112 total · 541 in this make and model · 116 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RNO, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 2
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.