Schempp-Hirth Discus CS accident near Wurtsboro, New York, January 28, 2001
On January 28, 2001 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth Discus CS (glider), registered N814CU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wurtsboro, New York (Wurtsboro airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin while on base leg.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 28, 2001 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wurtsboro, New York · Wurtsboro · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth Discus CS · all Discus CSs on the register
- Registration
- N814CU · registry record · serial 252-CS
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported the glider was on a left base leg to land, in a nose high attitude. Prior to reaching the point where the pilot would normally have turned to final, the glider entered a left turn. During the turn, the angle of bank increased to at least 60 degrees and the nose dropped to about 45 degrees down. The glider impacted the ground nose down, in a descending left turn. No evidence of a pre-existing failure or malfunction was found with the airframe. Bends found in the pushrods of the left wing spoiler and aileron were consistent with the ailerons displaced for a right bank, at the time of impact.
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: 400 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 350 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 200 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,125 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N82 Wurtsboro NY at 6:30 pm
- Destination: N82 Wurtsboro NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,593 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from MGJ, 10 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.
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 NYC01FA071.