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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 1999 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 1999
- Place
- Hartford, Wisconsin · Hartford Municipal · cases near this airport · 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 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8145 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS 15 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schempp-Hirth 516 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hartford Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Wisconsin 1,622 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Wisconsin 6,164 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI99LA189.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.