- Date
- June 25, 2024, 17:18 local (23:18 UTC)
- Place
- Nephi, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N41RESchempp-Hirth DISCUS-2B
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20240625009189A
- Case key
- 194721
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’s failure to maintain airspeed during a wind encounter, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he obtained the wind information at the airport, which was about 10 kts sustained directly down the runway, prior to starting his approach. While on short final, he encountered wind shear at approximately 50 ft above ground level. The pilot closed the spoilers and pushed the flight stick forward to maintain his airspeed with the intention of flying through the wind shear. However, the glider rapidly descended towards the ground and the pilot was unable to arrest the descent before the glider impacted the runway. According to the pilot, his slow airspeed during the landing likely prevented him from arresting his descent. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that could have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41RE
- Reported as
- Schempp-Hirth DISCUS-2B
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 10
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 1,905
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 3, 2024
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- U14 · Nephi Muni, runway 17/35, 6,300 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Data recorder, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- August 7, 2022
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 362.6 total · 269.6 in this make and model · 303.6 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 4.4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- KPUC, 38 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KPUC 252253Z AUTO 30014G20KT 10SM CLR A3009 RMK AO2 SLPNO $=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 6, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.