Rolladen-Schneider LS 4A accident near Salina, Utah, July 14, 1998
On July 14, 1998 at about 11:55 pm local time, a Rolladen-Schneider LS 4A (glider), registered N41MN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salina, Utah. 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 selection of unsuitable terrain to conduct a landing. Contributing was the loss of thermal lift and high vegetation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 1998 · about 11:55 pm local time · cases in 1998
- Place
- Salina, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rolladen-Schneider LS 4A · all LS 4As on the register
- Registration
- N41MN · no longer on the register · serial 4439
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot intended to fly from Parowan, Utah, to Payson, Utah, and return (a distance of approximately 300 miles). He was towed to an altitude of 7,500 feet msl (1,500 feet agl), and climbed in thermals and reached an altitude of 17,000 feet. At a point south of Salina, lift conditions deteriorated and he encountered sink. He selected a field 6 miles south of Salina in which to land. After touching down, he noticed an obstacle in the path of the left wing. He attempted to pull up and away from the obstacle but in doing so, the right wing contacted foliage, causing the glider to ground loop to the right.
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: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 228 hours in all; 148 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 172 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 528 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 14, 1997; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,157 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1L9 Parowan UT at 8:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N41MN: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Rolladen-Schneider LS-4 56 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Rolladen-Schneider 117 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Parowan Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Utah 1,440 since 1982 · 263 in the last ten years
- Utah 8,353 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW98LA326.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.