Amateur-built VENTUS 2CT accident near Stuarts Draft, Virginia, May 11, 2020
On May 11, 2020 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 2007 amateur-built VENTUS 2CT (glider), registered N514TW, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Stuarts Draft, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 delayed attempted engine start.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 11, 2020 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Stuarts Draft, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VENTUS 2CT No Series, built 2007
- Registration
- N514TW · registry record · serial 191
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After departing on a local flight, the pilot of the motor glider crossed a ridge line into a valley at an altitude of about 8,000 ft mean sea level, and then glided to the south in search of lift, but was unsuccessful. He decided to land on a brown, flat, field that appeared to be recently tilled. The pilot set up for a landing, and then deployed the glider's sustainer engine. The engine did not start, so he continued his approach to land. During the landing, the right wing struck the ground, the glider ground looped, and was substantially damaged. The flight manual for the sustainer engine advised that, the sustainer engine should only be extended and started when there was suitable terrain for landing within gliding distance, and furthermore, below 984 ft above ground level, starting attempts were to be avoided "so as to have a safe height left for planning the approach pattern should the engine fail to run!" The pilot stated that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure with the glider, and that he would recommend trying to start the sustainer engine at a higher altitude.
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
- Attempted remediation/recovery during emergency descent
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during landing
- 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 Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 142 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days; 13,732 as pilot in command; 1,926 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 2, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,150.6 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 26, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 1,323 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Solo 2350 (piston); 15 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2VA3 Amelia Court House VA at 4:30 pm
- Destination: 2VA3 Amelia Court House VA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 16 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from SHD, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on June 29, 2020. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for the Record - Accident Involving N514TW | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Engine Information | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Report and Records - Kshd Metars | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N514TW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.