Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-B accident near Waitsfield, Vermont, June 19, 1985
On June 19, 1985 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-B (glider), registered N240WT, was destroyed in an accident near Waitsfield, Vermont. 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 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 1985 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Waitsfield, Vermont
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-B · all VENTUS-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N240WT · no longer on the register · serial 6/1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS GLIDER WAS INVOLVED IN A SOARING CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE. ABOUT 52 MINUTES AFTER STARTING THE COURSE WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT MANEUVERING FOR A LANDING ON AN OPEN FIELD. WHILE IN A STEEP BANK THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND IMPACTED 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: 286 hours in all; 198 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 269 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 382 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 7, 1985; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,102 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown UNK (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: QB7 Warren VT at 5:06 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- 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 NYC85FA152.