Glasflugel STANDARD LIBELLE accident near Wellington, Colorado, June 5, 1994
On June 5, 1994 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Glasflugel STANDARD LIBELLE (glider), registered N3992, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wellington, Colorado. 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
WAS THE PILOT'S IMPROPER COMPENSATION FOR THE CROSSWIND. A FACTOR WAS THE CROSSWIND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 5, 1994 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wellington, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Glasflugel STANDARD LIBELLE STANDARD L · all STANDARD LIBELLEs on the register
- Registration
- N3992 · registry record · serial 219
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE GLIDER WAS TOWED ALOFT AND RELEASED AT 2,000 FEET AGL. THE PILOT SAID HE ENCOUNTERED 'STRONG SINK' AND DECIDED TO RETURN TO THE GLIDERPORT. HE ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AT LOW ALTITUDE AND WHEN HE TURNED ONTO THE BASE LEG, HE REALIZED HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO CLEAR OBSTACLES BETWEEN HIM AND THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO TURN INTO THE WIND BUT DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE, AND THE GLIDER LANDED IN A FIELD 'WITH A STRONG RIGHT SIDE DRIFT.' WHEN THE TAIL WHEEL CONTACTED THE GROUND, THE 'SIDE MOTION' CAUSED THE TAIL BOOM TO SEPARATE.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,510 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,510 as pilot in command; 101 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 610 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 10, 1994; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 695 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°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.
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 FTW94LA197.