Schempp-Hirth VENTUS B accident near Colorado Sprgs, Colorado, August 10, 1985
On August 10, 1985 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth VENTUS B (glider), registered N25RN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Colorado Sprgs, Colorado (Black Forest Glider Port airport). 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
- August 10, 1985 · about 8:30 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Colorado Sprgs, Colorado · Black Forest Glider Port · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS B · all VENTUS Bs on the register
- Registration
- N25RN · registry record · serial 221
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAKEOFF THE GLIDER LEFT WING TOUCHED THE GROUND. THE GLIDER THEN CARTWHEELED SUSTAINING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,620 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 1,539 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,000 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:30 pm
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 N25RN the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N25RN on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-B 28 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schempp-Hirth 516 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Kutcher Airfield · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,483 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N25RN 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN85LA216.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.