Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS accident near Hartford, Wisconsin, June 19, 1999
On June 19, 1999 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS (glider), registered N8145, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hartford, Wisconsin (Hartford Municipal 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 reason for the occurrence was undetermined. Factors were the pilot's deploying of the drogue chute, the drogue chute malfunctioning, a dirt embankment, and encountering unsuitable terrain during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 1999 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hartford, Wisconsin · Hartford Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS · all CIRRUSs on the register
- Registration
- N8145 · registry record · serial 70
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he was practicing deployment of the drogue chute during a landing in the glider. He said that the chute did not release and a landing short of the runway occurred. During the landing roll the glider impacted a roadway embankment. This glider had a history of the drogue chute not releasing previously. Subsequent to the accident an examination of the drogue chute mechanism failed to reveal any anomalies. There was no maintenance manual available for the glider to check the rigging of the release cable.
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: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 145 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 129 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 17, 1999; 600 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 882 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HXF at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,250 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 12 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CHI99LA189.