Burkhart Grob G102 accident near Minden, Nevada, March 14, 1996
On March 14, 1996 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Burkhart Grob G102 (glider), registered N851BG, 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; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's misjudgment of distance and altitude from the airport, which resulted in an off-airport forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 14, 1996 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Minden, Nevada · Douglas County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Burkhart Grob G102
- Registration
- N851BG · registry record · serial 5639CB
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he received a weather briefing which indicated the possibility of ridge lift. Following a normal takeoff and climb, he released from the tow plane, when the glider was at about 7,000 feet mean sea level (msl), 4 miles from the 4,718 foot msl airport, and 2 miles from the ridge. The pilot further reported that he encountered some ridge lift, but experienced a fairly substantial sink rate by the time he had descended to 6,200 feet msl. The rate of sink increased, and he realized that he was not high enough to return to the airport. The pilot made a forced landing in a soft, muddy dirt field, about 0.25 mile from the airport. During rollout, the glider collided with a dirt berm.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,375 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,450 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEV at 6:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N851BG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX96LA135.