Schempp-Hirth NIMBUS 3/24.5 accident near Macdoel, California, June 17, 1997
On June 17, 1997, a Schempp-Hirth NIMBUS 3/24.5 (glider), registered N4427M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Macdoel, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to see and avoid a set of power lines while making an off-airport landing due to a lack of lift.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 1997
- Place
- Macdoel, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth NIMBUS 3/24.5 NIMBUS 3/2 · all NIMBUS 3/24.5s on the register
- Registration
- N4427M · registry record · serial 6
- 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 while in a closed circuit race he was attempting to gain altitude in a thermal, which disappeared. The glider did not have sufficient altitude to continue and the pilot elected to return and land at an airport he had passed earlier. About 4 miles from the airport, an unexpected heavy sink rate was encountered. He picked an alternate landing site and on final approach to the south, he noticed a set of power lines different than the ones he had previously seen. They ran from east to west at the northern edge of the dirt strip. In order to avoid the obstructions, he went over the power lines. The right wing caught the wires, and the glider fell to the ground.
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
- Flight time: 414 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 355 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 709 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 1997; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,653 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SIY Montague CA at 7:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 45°F (7°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.
Other NTSB records under N4427M 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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 LAX97LA215.