Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS accident near Moriarty, New Mexico, September 5, 2010
On September 5, 2010 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS (glider), registered N4664, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Moriarty, New Mexico. 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 inadvertent opening of the cockpit canopy for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 2010 · about 8:40 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Moriarty, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS · all STANDARD CIRRUSs on the register
- Registration
- N4664 · no longer on the register · serial 172
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While being towed aloft behind an airplane, the glider’s cockpit canopy inadvertently opened. The glider pilot released from tow and attempted to close the canopy to no avail. The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern for landing about 20 minutes later. While on final approach, the pilot was unable to activate the dive brakes to shorten the landing distance due to her left hand being used to hold the canopy down. The glider crossed the runway threshold around 300 feet above ground level, and continued past the end of the runway for approximately one mile before she performed an off-airport landing. During landing the glider’s right wing impacted a fence post, resulting in structural damage. The reason for the inadvertent canopy opening was not determined.
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
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during takeoff defining event
- Landing area overshoot during landing
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Windows › windshield system › (general) › Malfunction other cases naming the airframe structure
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 61 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 22 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2010
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,869 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 728 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Departed from: 0E0 Moriarty NM
- Destination: 0E0 Moriarty NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.50 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from 0E0, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on November 9, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4664: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS 64 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schempp-Hirth 516 aircraft on the register
- Moriarty Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,113 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN10CA542.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.