Scheibe Flugzeugbau ZUGVOGEL IIIB accident near Taos, New Mexico, June 16, 1984
On June 16, 1984 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Scheibe Flugzeugbau ZUGVOGEL IIIB (glider), registered N30118, was destroyed in an accident near Taos, New Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 16, 1984 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Taos, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Scheibe Flugzeugbau ZUGVOGEL IIIB ZUGVOGEL I
- Registration
- N30118 · no longer on the register · serial 1102
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, THE WINDS INCREASED DURING A FLT IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA & THE THERMAL UPDRAFTS 'BROKE UP.' WHILE GLIDING BACK TO THE ARPT, HE ENCOUNTERED SINKING AIR & WAS FORCED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON ROUGH, SAGE BRUSH COVERED, TERRAIN. THIS WAS THE PLT'S FIRST FLT IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA AT HIGH ELEVATIONS. THE PLT SUBSEQUENTLY TOOK THREE FLTS WITH A LOCAL PLT EXPERIENCED IN MOUNTAINOUS FLYING. HE SUGGESTED THIS TYPE OF TRAINING FOR PLTS WITH NO PREVIOUS MOUNTAINOUS FLYING EXPERIENCE BEFORE FLYING OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 7090 FT.
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: 83 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 73 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 805 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SKX Taos NM at 9:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.