As+ Ltd AC4 accident near Sparks, Nevada, July 19, 2005
On July 19, 2005 at about 7:50 pm local time, a As+ Ltd AC4 (glider), registered N9276Y, was destroyed in an accident near Sparks, Nevada (Air Sailing airport). 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 maintain an adequate airspeed while performing S-turns on final approach, which resulted in a stall and uncontrolled descent into terrain. A contributing factor in the accident was the pilot's impairment due to ingestion of an over-the-counter sedating antihistamine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2005 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Sparks, Nevada · Air Sailing · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- As+ Ltd AC4 · all AC4s on the register
- Registration
- N9276Y · no longer on the register · serial 13
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider stalled and impacted level terrain on final approach to landing. The pilot returned to the gliderport about 20 minutes after release from the tow plane. The pilot made no radio transmissions to indicate the reason for the return to the gliderport. Airborne and ground witnesses reported that they saw the accident glider enter the downwind leg at a high altitude. After turning onto the final approach leg, the glider began to make S-turns to lose altitude. Witnesses indicated that on the third S-turn, about 200 feet above the ground, the glider stalled and descended in a near vertical nose down attitude and impacted the ground short of the runway. No evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure was found during post accident examination of the glider. Chlorpheniramine, an over-the-counter sedative antihistamine, was detected on toxicology testing of the pilot's blood at a level several times higher than that expected with the dosage described in the pilot's most recent application for airman medical certificate.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NV23 Sparks, Nv NV at 7:30 pm
- Destination: NV23
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from RNO, 22 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.
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.