Amateur-built SOLITARE accident near Wellington, Colorado, January 29, 2011
On January 29, 2011 at about 10:15 pm local time, a amateur-built SOLITARE (glider), registered N15XP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Wellington, Colorado (Owl Canyon Gliderport airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The glider pilot’s misjudgment while approaching to land, which resulted in an off-airport landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 2011 · about 10:15 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Wellington, Colorado · Owl Canyon Gliderport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SOLITARE
- Registration
- N15XP · registry record · serial 30
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider pilot reported he was returning to land when he noticed another glider waiting for departure on the runway. He elected to land instead on another runway that required that he fly further. The pilot said that he turned on the base leg of the traffic pattern too far away from the intended runway and that he did not anticipate the substantial downdraft and very strong headwind that he encountered on final approach. The glider landed approximately 500 feet short of the intended runway and impacted terrain and a railroad embankment, causing substantial damage to the glider's fuselage and right wing.
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
- Air traffic event during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Landing area undershoot during landing defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Sudden wind shift › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 784 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 682 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 23, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 377 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 22, 2010
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: 4CO2 Wellington CO at 9:55 pm
- Destination: 4CO2 Wellington CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 25 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on March 24, 2011. 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, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Map | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Weather Summary | PDF, 1 page | 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
- N15XP on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Owl Canyon · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,485 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11CA166.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.