Centrair 101C accident near Alamogordo, New Mexico, May 12, 2007
On May 12, 2007 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Centrair 101C (glider), registered N991JB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alamogordo, New Mexico (White Sands Regional 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 pilot's inability to control the glider after encountering the downdraft causing the glider to land short of the dirt strip. Factors contributing to the accident were the downdraft and the runway marker.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2007 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Alamogordo, New Mexico · White Sands Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Centrair 101C · all 101Cs on the register
- Registration
- N991JB · no longer on the register · serial 101901
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing on a dirt strip that parallels the main runway. Surface winds were "light." Approximately 25 to 50 feet above the ground, the pilot encountered a "heavy sink" and realized he was probably going to touch down in a ditch perpendicular to the dirt strip. The glider touched down at the far end of the ditch. The right wing dropped and struck a runway marker causing substantial damage to glider. The glider spun around and came to a stop 120 to 150 feet from the marker.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 358 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 316 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,074 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 845 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALM Alamogordo NM at 7:00 pm
- Destination: ALM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 13,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°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.
Other NTSB records under N991JB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.