Schempp-Hirth VENTUS 2CM N70ZZ

Summary

On 8 August 2009 at about 14:45 local time, a Schempp-Hirth VENTUS 2CM registered N70ZZ was involved in an accident near St. Elmo, Alabama, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 August 2009 at 14:45

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Elmo, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

St Elmo Airport (2R5)

Coordinates

30.5019, -88.2750

Aircraft

Schempp-Hirth VENTUS 2CM

Registration

N70ZZ

Category

Glider

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Elmo → St. Elmo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09LA455

1 person had minor injuries.

A partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of a powered glider experienced a partial loss of engine power on takeoff and landed hard while attempting a go around. During the preflight inspection and engine run-up, the pilot saw nothing abnormal that would have suggested a problem with the engine. After the accident, the pilot removed the powered glider wreckage from the accident site before the FAA inspector could inspect it. Approximately 3 months later, the powered glider was examined by an independent airframe and powerplant mechanic, and no definitive evidence was found that would have caused the partial loss of engine power. The inspection did reveal damage to the cylinder walls, but it was not possible to correlate this with the partial loss of engine power due to the engine being previously disassembled and examined by the owner.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.