Rolladen-Schneider LS-4 accident near Tatum, New Mexico, July 7, 1985
On July 7, 1985 at about 11:50 pm local time, a Rolladen-Schneider LS-4 (glider), registered N4203Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tatum, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 1985 · about 11:50 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Tatum, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rolladen-Schneider LS-4 · all LS-4s on the register
- Registration
- N4203Y · no longer on the register · serial 4008
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT 7 MILES SW OF TATUM, NM, AN AREA OF 'SINK' WAS ENCOUNTERED AND INSUFFICIENT ALT REMAINED TO GLIDE TO THE TATUM ARPT. AN APCH WAS THEN MADE (INTO THE SUN) FOR A LANDING IN A FLD. DURING THE LANDING FLARE, THE PLT NOTICED A ROW OF FENCE POSTS IN THE FLT PATH. AFRAID ONE OF THE FENCE WIRES WOULD CUT THROUGH THE COCKPIT, THE PLT PULLED UP IN AN ATTEMPT TO CLEAR THE FENCE. THE ACFT STALLED AT AN ALT OF APRX 6 FT AGL AND CONTACTED THE GROUND.
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: 1,300 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 108 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 16, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,041 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HOB Hobbs NM at 6:42 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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
- N4203Y: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Rolladen-Schneider LS-4 56 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Rolladen-Schneider 117 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lea County Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,113 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN85FQG01.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.