Schempp-Hirth VENTUS 2CT accident near Blacksburg, Virginia, September 24, 2015
On September 24, 2015 at about 6:52 pm local time, a 2012 Schempp-Hirth VENTUS 2CT (glider), registered N710JC, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Blacksburg, Virginia. 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
A loss of thermal lift during a motor glider flight, which resulted in an off-airport landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from power lines during the off-airport landing attempt.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 2015 · about 6:52 pm local time · cases in 2015
- Place
- Blacksburg, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS 2CT NO SERIES, built 2012 · all VENTUS 2CTs on the register
- Registration
- N710JC · no longer on the register · serial 231
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was flying the motor glider in an annual soaring competition. The pilot reported that the motor glider was towed to 2,500 ft and then released. He subsequently performed a routine test of the engine and observed no anomalies; he then shut down the engine and stowed it before beginning the first leg of the competition. About 20 miles from the departure airport, the motor glider began losing altitude due to a loss of thermal lift, and the pilot then prepared for an off-airport landing. He deployed the retractable engine and attempted to start it but was unsuccessful. The pilot set up for landing to a field. He did not see power lines bordering the approach end of the field, and the motor glider impacted the power lines and then descended to the ground in a nose-down attitude.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of lift during maneuvering defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Thermal lifting › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 255 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 2,350 as pilot in command; 100 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 2, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 283 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 1,323 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Solo 2350 (piston); 7 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BCB Blacksburg VA at 4:15 pm
- Destination: BCB Blacksburg VA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.28 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from KBCB, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on December 1, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record – Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N710JC: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2 70 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schempp-Hirth 516 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Solo 2350 41 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Virginia Tech/Montgomery Executive · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Virginia 1,361 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Virginia 5,972 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA15LA375.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.