Stemme GMBH & CO S10-VT accident near Kiowa, Colorado, March 15, 2025
On March 15, 2025 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 2000 Stemme GMBH & CO S10-VT (glider), registered N237DB, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Kiowa, Colorado (Road airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and fuel planning which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2025 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kiowa, Colorado · Road · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stemme GMBH & CO S10-VT, built 2000 · all S10-VTs on the register
- Registration
- N237DB · registry record · serial 11-045
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while enroute to his destination, the engine lost all power. He attempted to restart the engine, stowed the engine to reduce drag, and executed a forced landing. During the forced landing, the glider impacted a fence and came to rest upright on a dirt road, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and rudder. The pilot reported that he ran out of fuel. He stated that he should have used a dipstick to check the fuel level in the wings and not trusted the fuel gauges.
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
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 9,200 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 196 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 6,077 as pilot in command; 926 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 20, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 47.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,874 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 914 F2 (piston); 60 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1V6 Canon City CO at 6:30 pm
- Destination: APA Centennial CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.69 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from KMNH, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KMNH 152155Z AUTO 31012G18KT 10SM BKN039 OVC050 00/M07 A2969 RMK AO2=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 5, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot's Statement | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN25LA129.