Schleicher ASW-19 accident near Salem, Utah, July 5, 1996
On July 5, 1996 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Schleicher ASW-19 (glider), registered N19KH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salem, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to attain a proper touchdown point during an off-airport landing. Factors relating to the accident were: loss of thermal lift, high obstructions (transmission wires) near the edge of the field that the pilot chose to land, and a bale of hay and a fence at the far end of the field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 1996 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Salem, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW-19 · all ASW-19s on the register
- Registration
- N19KH · registry record · serial 19125
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After losing all thermal lift, the pilot was unable to glide to the nearest airport, so he elected to land in an open field. After clearing 30-foot high transmission lines about 100 feet prior to the field, he descended into the field. The glider touched down between one-third and one-half way down the 1,500 foot long field. After the touchdown, the pilot was unable to stop the glider before it impacted a hay bale and a fence near the end of the field.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 923 hours in all; 433 in this make and model; 165 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,595 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 24, 1996; 139 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 36U Heber UT at 8:12 pm
- Destination: Parowan UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 95°F (35°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.
Other NTSB records under N19KH the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 SEA96LA147.