Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS accident near Benson, Arizona, April 28, 1986
On April 28, 1986 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS (glider), registered N5RM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Benson, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1986 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Benson, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth STANDARD CIRRUS STANDARD C · all STANDARD CIRRUSs on the register
- Registration
- N5RM · no longer on the register · serial G-310
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A SCHEMPP-HIRTH STANDARD CIRRUS GLIDER COLLIDED WITH ROCKS ON LANDING ROLL IN AN OPEN FIELD. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS COMPETING IN AN AIR MEET. WHILE ENROUTE HE LOST ALTITUDE AND WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN IT. HE SELECTED AN OPEN FIELD TO LAND IN, BUT DID NOT SEE THE ROCKS UNTIL AFTER THE ON GROUND COLLISION.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,340 hours in all; 281 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 1,196 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,057 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 1986; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 860 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P33 Willcox AZ at 7:30 pm
- Destination: AZ67 El Tiro AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from TUX, 42 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.