Elan Glaser Dirks DG-300 ELAN accident near Truckee, California, August 28, 1995
On August 28, 1995 at about 11:48 pm local time, a Elan Glaser Dirks DG-300 ELAN (glider), registered N300HX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Truckee, California (Truckee-Tahoe 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 pilot misjudged his planned approach by selecting a touchdown point close to the runway's approach end that did not provide sufficient clearance to safely maneuver when forcast turbulence and downdrafts were encountered. The pilot's early extension of spoilers was a factor in this accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1995 · about 11:48 pm local time
- Place
- Truckee, California · Truckee-Tahoe
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Elan Glaser Dirks DG-300 ELAN DG-300 ELA
- Registration
- N300HX · no longer on the register · serial 3E-117
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY TERMINATES IN A STEEP BLUFF WITH A 175-FOOT DROP OFF AT A 70-DEGREE ANGLE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO BE LOW ON THE BASE-TO-FINAL TURN. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS 700 FEET HIGHER IN THE PATTERN TO COMPENSATE FOR THE TURBULENCE HE EXPECTED. HE EXTENDED THE SPOILERS AND THEN RETRACTED THEM, AND THEN LOWERED THE NOSE IN AN EFFORT TO INCREASE AIRSPEED. ON FINAL, THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED BELOW THE TERRAIN AT THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY AND CRASHED INTO THE BLUFF. THE PILOT SAID THAT WHILE IN THE TURN THE AIRSPEED DID NOT INCREASE AS EXPECTED AND HE WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE RUNWAY WHEN THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT. THE PREVAILING WINDS WERE CAUSING TURBULENCE AND DOWNDRAFTS AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY WAS CONFIRMED BY THE FAA. THE PILOT HAD BEEN BRIEFED ON THE WIND CONDITIONS AND SAID HE HAD EXPERIENCED THEM PREVIOUSLY.
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: rotorcraft: glider
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 15, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TRK at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 4,650 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 12 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from TRK
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.
Other NTSB records under N300HX the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.