The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB DEN86LA059 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-B accident near Alamogordo, New Mexico, January 1, 1986

On January 1, 1986 at about 11:23 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-B (glider), registered N166JD, was destroyed in an accident near Alamogordo, New Mexico (Alamagordo-White Sands Rg 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
January 1, 1986 · about 11:23 pm local time · cases in 1986
Place
Alamogordo, New Mexico · Alamagordo-White Sands Rg · 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
N166JD · no longer on the register · serial 209
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

UPON RETURNING TO THE ARPT, THE PLT DECIDED TO MAKE A FLY-BY. THE PLT REPORTED THAT WHILE ON A MODIFIED DOWNWIND AT AN ALT OF APRX 50 FT AGL, THE GLIDER WHICH HE WAS PILOTING ENCOUNTERED ADVERSE WINDS AND DOWNDRAFTS. CONTROL OF THE ACFT WAS LOST AND IT DESCENDED RAPIDLY TO GROUND CONTACT.

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: single-engine land; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
  • Flight time: 774 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 676 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: ctr

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 186 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, October 4, 1985
  • Maximum gross weight: 700 lb
  • Seats: 1
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: Alamogordo NM at 9:58 pm
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 21, 7,005 ft by 150 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 329° at 8 knots
  • Visibility: 60 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
  • Observation at 10:55 pm from HMN, 5 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN86LA059.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.