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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1982 · about 9:12 pm local time · cases in 1982
- 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N214T: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Schempp-Hirth 516 aircraft on the register
- N44MA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schleicher ASW-20 101 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schleicher 506 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,094 in the last ten years
- California 28,286 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX82DA335.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.