Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-3DM accident near Minden, Nevada, June 16, 2007
On June 16, 2007 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-3DM (glider), registered N374AM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Minden, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight's encounter with severe downdrafts during cruise flight. Contributing factors were the pilot's inadvertent selection of unsuitable terrain with hidden obstructions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2007 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Minden, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-3DM · all Nimbus-3DMs on the register
- Registration
- N374AM · registry record · serial 9
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the motor glider reported that he had been airborne on a local soaring flight for about 30 minutes when the flight encountered "severe downdrafts." Due to the downdrafts, he was unable to return to the airport and had to land in an alfalfa field. During the landing roll, the glider collided with a ditch and a fence that were not visible during the landing approach.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 20,200 hours in all; 108 in this make and model; 225 in the last 90 days; 95 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 535C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEV Minden NV
- Destination: MEV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 12 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 SEA07CA162.