Schempp-Hirth VENTUS B/16.6 accident near Hobbs, New Mexico, July 11, 1999
On July 11, 1999 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth VENTUS B/16.6 (glider), registered N176V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hobbs, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning. Factors were the loss of thermal lift, the subsequent stall/spin, and the fence post that he impacted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 1999 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hobbs, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS B/16.6 VENTUS B/1 · all VENTUS B/16.6s on the register
- Registration
- N176V · no longer on the register · serial 353
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to glider race officials, the pilot was returning to the airport, and was approximately 14 nautical miles out. The pilot said that the lift conditions were deteriorating, and he needed to land-out. He said that he selected a road to land on, but as he approached his landing point, he became aware of transmission wires. He subsequently maneuvered his glider away from the wires, but stalled his aircraft. The pilot said that he caught a wing tip, and the glider rotated into a fence. The glider was broken in half, and the nose and vertical stabilizer were damaged.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,798 hours in all; 182 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 1,546 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,042 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 16, 1999; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,157 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HBB at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from HOB, 9 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN99LA117.