Rolladen-Schneider LS3 accident near Brigham City, Utah, September 29, 1984
On September 29, 1984 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Rolladen-Schneider LS3 (glider), registered N8JN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brigham City, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- September 29, 1984 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Brigham City, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rolladen-Schneider LS3
- Registration
- N8JN · no longer on the register · serial 3276
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT IMPACTED ON A MOUNTAIN RIDGE DURING A 60 DEG LEFT BANK. THE PLT HAD BEEN IN RADIO COMMUNICATION WITH ANOTHER GLIDER PLT NEAR HIS FLT AREA. JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT HE RADIOED THAT HE WAS GOING AROUND A MOUNTAIN POINT IN SEARCH OF A THERMAL. WHEN NO MORE COMMUNICATIONS WERE HEARD, THE ACCOMPANYING FLT FLEW AROUND THE POINT & FOUND THE ACCIDENT WRECKAGE. THE WRECKAGE WAS INTACT WITH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE FWD FUSELAGE. THE ELT IN THE PLTS COMPARTMENT WAS SHATTERED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,650 hours in all; 111 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 640 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 10, 1984; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BMC Brigham City UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from 0DG, 18 miles away
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.