Glasflugel CLUB LIBELLE 205 accident near St. Elmo, Illinois, June 15, 1986
On June 15, 1986 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Glasflugel CLUB LIBELLE 205 (glider), registered N8HD, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Elmo, Illinois. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 15, 1986 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- St. Elmo, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Glasflugel CLUB LIBELLE 205 CLUB LIBEL
- Registration
- N8HD · no longer on the register · serial 155
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THERE WAS A LOSS OF THERMAL ACTIVITY WHILE THE GLIDER PLT WAS ON A X-COUNTRY FLT. DURING AN OFF ARPT LNDG, THE WINGTIP OF THE SAILPLANE STRUCK WEEDS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT GROUND LOOPED & WAS DAMAGED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,010 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 1,833 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 521 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 26, 1986; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 660 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: H07 Highland IL
- Destination: 1H2 Effingham IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 15 knots, gusting 1
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.