Schempp-Hirth VENTUS and Schleicher ASW-20 mid-air collision near California City, California, September 5, 1982
On September 5, 1982 at about 9:12 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Schempp-Hirth VENTUS (N214T) and Schleicher ASW-20 (N44MA), were involved in a mid-air collision near California City, California. No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1982 · about 9:12 pm local time
- Place
- California City, California
- Type
- Accident · mid-air collision
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS
- Registration
- N214T · no longer on the register · serial 12
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
- Aircraft 2
- Schleicher ASW-20 · all ASW-20s on the register
- Registration
- N44MA · registry record · serial 20-011
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative for the Schempp-Hirth VENTUS final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING A CROSS-COUNTRY GLIDER RACE INVOLVING 41 GLIDERS. SEVEN OR EIGHT GLIDERS WERE CIRCLING IN RIGHT TURNS IN A THERMAL AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME ALTITUDE WHEN THE COLLISION OCCURRED. THE PLT OF THE VENTUS STATED HIS GLIDER BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE & HE SUCCESSFULLY BAILED OUT. THE PLT OF THE ASW-20 RETURNED TO THE CALIFORNIA CITY ARPT & LANDED OKAY.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Schleicher ASW-20 final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING A CROSS-COUNTRY GLIDER RACE INVOLVING 41 GLIDERS. SEVEN OR EIGHT GLIDERS WERE CIRCLING IN RIGHT TURNS IN A THERMAL AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME ALTITUDE WHEN THE COLLISION OCCURRED. THE PLT OF THE VENTUS STATED HIS GLIDER BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE & HE SUCCESSFULLY BAILED OUT. THE PLT OF THE ASW-20 RETURNED TO THE CALIFORNIA CITY ARPT & LANDED OKAY.
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 for the Schempp-Hirth VENTUS from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 143 in the last 90 days; 11,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 214 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: California City CA
- Destination: California City CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 203°F (95°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
The factual record for the Schleicher ASW-20 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,488 hours in all; 190 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 1,439 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 826 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 660 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: California City CA at 1:30 pm
- Destination: California City CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX82DA335.