Aero Tek, INC. ZUNI accident near Uvalde, Texas, July 30, 2000
On July 30, 2000 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Aero Tek, INC. ZUNI (glider), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N6ZF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Uvalde, Texas (Uvalde/Garner Field). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather conditions which resulted in a forced landing. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2000 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Uvalde, Texas · Uvalde/Garner Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Tek, INC. ZUNI, amateur-built
- Registration
- N6ZF · registry record · serial 6
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental glider struck the ground short of the runway when it encountered adverse weather conditions during the final approach. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight; however, a thunderstorm moved north-south across the airport during the time of the accident. The glider encountered moderate to severe turbulence associated with the thunderstorm, and the pilot initiated an off field landing. During the off airport landing, the right wing contacted brush, and the airplane groundlooped.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 75 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 364 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 7, 2000; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UVA at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 5,255 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.