Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus accident near Heber, Utah, August 25, 2007
On August 25, 2007 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus (glider), registered N62305, was substantially damaged in an accident near Heber, Utah (Heber City Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed during landing, resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin, undershoot and collision with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2007 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 2007
- Place
- Heber, Utah · Heber City Municipal · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth Standard Cirrus · all Standard Cirruss on the register
- Registration
- N62305 · no longer on the register · serial 148
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider approached the destination airport and adjoined with the downwind leg of the traffic pattern to the active runway. The glider immediately started a rapid descent with the spoilers in the extended (open) position. The glider continued in that configuration until reaching about 200 feet above ground level (agl), at which point the nose pitched up. The glider entered a stall/spin, impacting the desert terrain below, short of the runway. An examination of the wreckage disclosed that the spoilers were fully open at the time of impact and the landing gear was still in the undercarriage. No evidence of mechanical malfunction or failure was found during the examination.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 60 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 728 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 36U Heber UT at 9:45 pm
- Destination: 36U
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 6,898 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
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
- N62305: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS 64 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 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/LAX07LA257.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.