Glaser-Dirks DG-500M accident near Minden, Nevada, May 25, 1991
On May 25, 1991, a Glaser-Dirks DG-500M (glider), registered N503V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Minden, Nevada (Douglas County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
AN ENGINE FAILURE PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THE PILOT IMPROPERLY ADJUSTING THE CARBURETOR MIXTURE JET.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 1991 · cases in 1991
- Place
- Minden, Nevada · Douglas County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Glaser-Dirks DG-500M · all DG-500Ms on the register
- Registration
- N503V · registry record · serial 5E24M12
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT AND A PASSENGER WERE DEPARTING IN A MOTORIZED GLIDER ON THE THIRD FLIGHT OF THE DAY FOR A PERSONAL FLIGHT IN THE LOCAL AREA. THE GLIDER'S ENGINE IS A MODIFIED SNOW MOBILE DESIGN AND IS STOWABLE. AT ABOUT 150 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND THE PILOT MANEUVERED THE GLIDER TOWARD AN EMERGENCY LANDING AREA. DURING THE LANDING, THE EMPENNAGE STRUCK THE EDGE OF A DITCH, SEVERING THE TAIL ASSEMBLY. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. AFTER THE FIRST FLIGHT, THE PILOT ADJUSTED THE ENGINE CARBURETOR MAIN AND IDLE JETS TO A LEAN FUEL/AIR MIXTURE. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED A HOLE IN THE TOP OF ONE OF THE CYLINDER PISTONS. THE CARBURETOR MIXTURE IS SET AT THE FACTORY AND IS ONLY TO BE ADJUSTED BY TRAINED PERSONNEL OR AN AVIATION MECHANIC.
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: single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,585 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 2,527 as pilot in command; 238 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,819 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Bombardier 535C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 5,289 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 8 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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
- N503V on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Glaser-Dirks DG-500 6 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Glaser-Dirks 37 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Bombardier 535C · as the NTSB recorded it
- Minden-Tahoe Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Nevada 1,294 since 1982 · 223 in the last ten years
- Nevada 4,583 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX91LA229.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.