Flug-Und Fahrzeugwerke (Ffa) DIAMENT 16.5 accident near Marana, Arizona, July 26, 1989
On July 26, 1989 at about 8:59 pm local time, a Flug-Und Fahrzeugwerke (Ffa) DIAMENT 16.5 (glider), registered N808VV, was destroyed in an accident near Marana, Arizona (El Tiro 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 LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL RESULTING FROM AN UNCOMMANDED UPWARD PITCH SHORTLY AFTER LIFT OFF.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 1989 · about 8:59 pm local time
- Place
- Marana, Arizona · El Tiro · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flug-Und Fahrzeugwerke (Ffa) DIAMENT 16.5 DIAMENT 16
- Registration
- N808VV · no longer on the register · serial 037
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND A WITNESS REPORTED THE GLIDER UNEXPECTEDLY PITCHED UP, STALLED AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND SHORTLY AFTER LIFT OFF FROM A GLIDER PORT. A SUSPECTED ROD TO THE ELEVATOR WAS EXAMINED BY A METALLURGIST. HE CONCLUDED THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE OR CORROSION AND THE FAILURE WAS THE RESULT OF A SINGLE RAPID OVERLOAD. THERE WERE NO OTHER ANOMALIES FOUND WITH THE AIRCRAFT FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 975 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 882 as pilot in command; 187 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 792 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 20, 1989; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,020 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Unknown UNKNOWN (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26R, 5,100 ft by 175 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.
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.