Amateur-built VENTUS 2A accident near Wurtsboro, New York, July 26, 2019
On July 26, 2019 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 2002 amateur-built VENTUS 2A (glider), registered N57LK, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Wurtsboro, New York (Wurtsboro-Sullivan County airport). 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 failure to properly secure the glider’s canopy before flight, which resulted in it opening in flight and the pilot's inability to maintain an appropriate final approach path and altitude, which resulted in impact with a shipping container.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2019 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wurtsboro, New York · Wurtsboro-Sullivan County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VENTUS 2A No Series, built 2002
- Registration
- N57LK · registry record · serial 137
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while being towed, the glider began to climb, and the canopy opened. The pilot released the glider from the tow airplane, and he reached up and closed the canopy. He decreased the glider's airspeed and made a 180° right turn to final. On final, the glider was high, and he deployed the airbrakes, but the canopy opened again. The pilot closed the canopy and held it shut with his left hand while trying to control the glider with his right hand, but the altitude decreased "very quickly." The glider's wingtip struck a shipping container just short of the runway. The glider sustained substantial damage to the left wing and the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Cabin safety event during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 174 hours in all; 150 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 13, 2017
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 876.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 4, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 695 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Departed from: N82 Wurtsboro NY at 6:00 pm
- Destination: N82 Wurtsboro NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 3,591 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from KMGJ, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 9, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.