Schempp-Hirth VENTUS A accident near Rocksprings, Texas, August 7, 1995
On August 7, 1995 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth VENTUS A (glider), registered N307L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rocksprings, Texas. 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
DEBONDING OF MYLAR TAPE THAT WAS USED TO SEAL A GAP ON THE ELEVATOR, WHICH RESULTED IN INADEQUATE ELEVATOR CONTROL AUTHORITY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 1995 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 1995
- Place
- Rocksprings, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS A · all VENTUS As on the register
- Registration
- N307L · no longer on the register · serial 38
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, AS HE ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE TO GLIDE SPEED, HE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH ELEVATOR CONTROL. HE SAID HE HAD TO APPLY FULL ELEVATOR BEFORE THE GLIDER WOULD RESPOND TO THE CONTROL INPUTS AND THAT IT RESPONDED VERY SLOWLY.' THE PILOT WAS GOING TO LAND ON A RANCH ROAD; HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE CONTROL PROBLEM, HE DETERMINED IT WAS SAFER TO BAIL OUT. THE GLIDER IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE, DAMAGING THE FUSELAGE, HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, AND CANOPY. EXAMINATION OF THE GLIDER REVEALED THAT MYLAR TAPE, WHICH WAS USED AS A GAP SEAL FOR THE ELEVATOR, HAD PARTIALLY SEPARATED.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 6,322 hours in all; 131 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 2,500 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,425 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 1995; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,106 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UVA Uvlade TX at 6:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 100°F (38°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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N307L: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS A 5 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schempp-Hirth 516 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Garner Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,064 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,966 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW95LA335.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.