Schempp-Hirth VENTUS CM N9999R
2 July 1991 · Marfa, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 2 July 1991 at about 19:00 local time, a Schempp-Hirth VENTUS CM registered N9999R, operated by Rogar N. Buchanan, was involved in an accident near Marfa, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Marfa, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Marfa Municipal (MRF)
- Coordinates
- 30.3097, -104.0205
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS CM
- Registration
- N9999R
- Category
- Glider
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Rogar N. Buchanan
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW91LA114
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT MISJUDGED THE APPROACH. FACTORS WERE THE HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE, THE DOWNDRAFT, AND THE DTERIORTED CLIMB PERFORMANCE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
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.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schempp-Hirth VENTUS accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Aug 1991 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-B | Mojave, California, United States | Hutchinson Family Trust | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 1991 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS C | Durango, Colorado, United States | Charles C. Henning | Fatal | 1 |
| 7 Apr 1991 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS B/16.6 | Lake Cobb, California, United States | Richard Carter | Minor injuries | - |
| 31 May 1992 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS A/16.6 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | ROY S. Cundiff | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 1990 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS B/16.6 | Hawthorne, Nevada, United States | Richard T. Mockler | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jun 1994 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-C | Fairfield, Pennsylvania, United States | Savory, William J. | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft BE-19 | Mesquite, Texas, United States | ARI BEN Aviator | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Dfw Airport, Texas, United States | American Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Robinson R22 BETA | Wylie, Texas, United States | Heli TEX Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Cessna 150A | Jewett, Texas, United States | Jack R. Horan | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Aug 1991 | Beechcraft K35 | Laredo, Texas, United States | DAN R. Blaker | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Cessna 172F | Cumby, Texas, United States | Charles D. Wood | No injuries | - |