Schempp-Hirth MINI-NIMBUS accident near Groveland, Florida, April 28, 1999
On April 28, 1999 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth MINI-NIMBUS (glider), registered N100GG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Groveland, Florida (Seminole Lake Glider Port airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inability to locate a thermal and the in-flight encounter with a down draft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1999 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Groveland, Florida · Seminole Lake Glider Port · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth MINI-NIMBUS MINI-NIMBU
- Registration
- N100GG · registry record · serial 84
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After the tow release at 1600 feet, the pilot began to search for thermal pockets. Failing to find a thermal, the pilot elected to return to the airport. The pilot stated that he encountered downdrafts which increased his rate of descent to approximately 1000 feet per minute. Realizing that there was not sufficient altitude to return to the airport safely, the pilot elected to make an emergency landing in a nearby field. The glider subsequently collided with a barbed wire fence during the emergency landing, causing substantial damage. The glider sustained damage to both wings and a broken canopy. No mechanical problems with the glider were reported by the pilot.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,102 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6FL0 Seminole Lake FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from MCO, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.