Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2B accident near Hobbs, New Mexico, July 5, 1997
On July 5, 1997 at about 11:22 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2B (glider), registered N80077, was destroyed in an accident near Hobbs, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to select an off-field landing site with sufficient time/altitude to perform the landing which led to his failure to maintain airspeed. A factor was the unfavorable wind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 1997 · about 11:22 pm local time
- Place
- Hobbs, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2B · all VENTUS-2Bs on the register
- Registration
- N80077 · registry record · serial 9
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had been involved in a week-long Region 9 glider competition. Witnesses reported that approximately halfway to the first check point, a 'low cloud deck moved in from the northeast reducing the available lift.' Witnesses stated that the weather deteriorated to such a degree that 20 of the 38 competing gliders landed-out. As the pilot was flying south towards the approach end of runway 17, approximately 200 feet agl, he turned eastbound. According to witnesses at the destination airport, the pilot radioed that he was going 'to land-out.' A witness near the accident site reported that she 'heard the glider fly overhead and looked up to see it just above her house.' The witness further reported that she saw the glider fly northbound and climb to 'about 2, maybe 3 telephone poles height above the ground.' She said that the glider was 'rocking back and forth like a kite, and then it spun to the left and hit the ground.' The glider fell on some transmission wires as it impacted the ground. The Soaring Society of America's Flight Manual states that in preparation for an off-field landing, the pilot should select a specific field by 1,500 feet agl.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 275 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 1,157 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HBB NM at 7:07 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from HOB, 8 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N80077 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.