Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-B N948B
23 February 1998 · Williams, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 23 February 1998 at about 01:15 local time, a Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-B registered N948B was involved in an accident near Williams, California, 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 01:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Williams, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Williams (Q12)
- Coordinates
- 39.1101, -122.2701
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-B
- Registration
- N948B
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX98LA092
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate clearance from the oil drilling rig due to his attention being diverted inside the cockpit in order the secure the landing gear control.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that there was a drilling rig parked approximately 30 to 40 feet from the end of the runway and he was aware of the location of the rig before takeoff. He further stated that he usually placed a wooden wedge behind the landing gear handle to secure it in place before landing, but while on final he noticed that he had not yet secured it. While he attempted to secure it in place, he noticed that the aircraft had a very great rate of descent. He then 'concentrated in controlling the direction of the aircraft to land properly on the runway, looking ahead and losing reference of the drilling rig.' The right wingtip then hit the upper portion of the rig and approximately 3 to 4 feet of the wing separated from the aircraft, and the nose of the glider hit the ground. The glider spun to the right approximately 180 degrees before coming to a complete stop.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schempp-Hirth VENTUS accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jun 1998 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS CM | Taos, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 1997 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2B | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Jul 1999 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS B/16.6 | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jun 2000 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS 2CM | Warren, Vermont, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 1995 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS A | Rocksprings, Texas, United States | - | Minor 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 1998 | Cessna 152 | Avalon, California, United States | Orange County Flight Center | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Oct 1998 | Grumman TS-2A | Banning, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Aug 1998 | North American NAVION | Salinas, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 21 Aug 1998 | Bell 206B | Salinas, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 1998 | Robinson R22B | Ramona, California, United States | Civic Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 1998 | Aerospatiale SA316B | Porterville, California, United States | U.s. Dept. of the Interior | No injuries | - |