Schempp-Hirth DISCUS-2B accident near Clermont, Florida, March 10, 2003
On March 10, 2003 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth DISCUS-2B (glider), registered N828JN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clermont, Florida (Seminole Lake 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
An in-flight encounter with wind gusts while making an approach to land in a field resulting in the aircraft landing early and colliding with a berm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 10, 2003 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Clermont, Florida · Seminole Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth DISCUS-2B · all DISCUS-2Bs on the register
- Registration
- N828JN · registry record · serial 120
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he was downwind of the airport, and realized he could not make it back so he elected to make an off-field landing. After turning onto final approach he said "the glider was hit by a gust of wind and forced into the ground." The glider hit a mound of dirt on the edge of ground water causing the glider to ground-loop.
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
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 685 hours in all; 135 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: None
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,157 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6LFO Clermont FL
- Destination: 6LFO Clermont FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 MIA03CA074.