Scheibe Flugzeugbau BERGFALKE II-55 accident near Hutchinson, Kansas, August 24, 1986
On August 24, 1986 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Scheibe Flugzeugbau BERGFALKE II-55 (glider), registered N5924, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hutchinson, Kansas (Sunflower Aerodrome airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 1986 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Hutchinson, Kansas · Sunflower Aerodrome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Scheibe Flugzeugbau BERGFALKE II-55 BERGFALKE
- Registration
- N5924 · no longer on the register · serial 085
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE PERFORMED WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS A THOROUGH PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTION, INCLUDING THE INSTALLATION OF THE HORIZONTAL TAIL, BEFORE HE PUSHED THE AIRCRAFT ONTO THE RUNWAY AND HOOKED THE TOW LINE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER LIFTOFF, THE PILOT FURTHER STATED THE ELEVATOR CONTROLS DID NOT RESPOND TO HIS INPUTS AND HE ABORTED THE AERO TOWING OPERATION BY BREAKING AWAY FROM THE TOW AIRCRAFT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, AS HE DEPLOYED THE DIVE BRAKES THE NOSE DROPPED AND THE GLIDER STRUCK THE RUNWAY WHERE IT BOUNCED SEVERAL TIMES. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ELEVATOR PUSH ROD HAD NOT BEEN ATTACHED PRIOR TO THIS FLIGHT. THE TOW PLANE WAS NOT DAMAGED.
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: 194 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 171 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,043 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 970 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17L, 7,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:47 pm from HUT, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N5924 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.