Glaser-Dirks DG-300 accident near Minden, Nevada, April 11, 1997
On April 11, 1997 at about 7:00 am local time, a Glaser-Dirks DG-300 (glider), registered N70644, was destroyed in an accident near Minden, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
loss of aircraft control for undetermined reason(s), inadequate design of the canopy jettison system, and incapacitation of the pilot, when he was struck by the canopy frame during a jettison sequence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 11, 1997 · about 7:00 am local time
- Place
- Minden, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Glaser-Dirks DG-300 · all DG-300s on the register
- Registration
- N70644 · no longer on the register · serial 3E32
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had 30 hrs of total glider experience & was on his 1st flight in a Glaser-Dirks DG-300 (a European, single place, production glider). He had been inactive in gliders for a year & had received 5 hrs of recurrency training in Grob 102 & 103 gliders during the previous 5 days. His logbook contained an entry for the previous day's solo flight in a Grob 102, which stated 'steep turns and stalls.' Subsequently, the glider crashed on rolling terrain in a nose-low attitude without appreciable forward motion. During impact, the nose was crushed & the fuselage failed about 3 ft aft of the cockpit. The aft fuselage & empennage were found lying inverted over the left wing. The canopy jettison control was found to have been pulled (released), & there were impact marks on the horizontal stabilizer leading edge at locations consistent with the canopy frame dimensions. Plexiglas from the canopy was found up to 300 yds away. The pilot was found seated upright in the cockpit with his parachute on & his seat belt restraint system fastened. Despite severe lacerations due to ground impact, there was no blood apparent anywhere on the pilot's face. However, a large contusion (bruise) was found across the pilot's forehead, apparently sustained before ground impact, which was consistent with impact with the jettisoned canopy.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 175 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 121 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,195 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 5, 1997; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,157 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEV at 7:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:47 pm from TVL, 19 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.