Schempp-Hirth Ventus-B accident near Peoria, Arizona, September 7, 2002
On September 7, 2002 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth Ventus-B (glider), registered N114RP, was destroyed in an accident near Peoria, Arizona. 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 abrupt maneuver, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 2002 · about 11:15 pm local time · cases in 2002
- Place
- Peoria, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth Ventus-B · all Ventus-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N114RP · no longer on the register · serial 68
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider pilot radioed to an FBO that he would be attempting a landing to a boat ramp near a lake. Witnesses at the lake reported that they initially observed the glider flying west, "very low" over the lake. A few witnesses, who were in boats and heading west toward the boat ramps, reported that the glider passed directly overhead and was between 100 and 300 feet above the water. The glider initiated a climbing left turn, stalled and, subsequently, impacted the lake. A review of the maintenance logbooks and examination of the glider by an FAA inspector did not reveal any pre-existing anomalies with the glider.
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: 237 hours in all
- Last flight review: February 28, 2002
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,035.6 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 16, 2002
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P48 Peoria AZ at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from DVT, 14 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N114RP: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-B 28 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schempp-Hirth 516 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 468 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,431 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX02LA277.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.