Avia Stroitel AC-5M accident near Bend, Oregon, June 30, 2020
On June 30, 2020 at about 8:24 pm local time, a 2002 Avia Stroitel AC-5M (glider), registered N263R, was destroyed in an accident during takeoff near Bend, Oregon (Bend Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of control just after takeoff for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2020 · about 8:24 pm local time
- Place
- Bend, Oregon · Bend Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Avia Stroitel AC-5M, built 2002 · all AC-5Ms on the register
- Registration
- N263R · no longer on the register · serial 028
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was departing in the self-launching motorglider when the accident occurred. A witness stated that, once airborne, the glider began to climb rapidly. The glider then banked to the right and entered a “dive” to ground contact. Another witness stated that, shortly after takeoff, the glider “went directly vertical” then banked to the right before diving toward the ground. The glider came to rest on airport property near the departure end of the runway and was almost entirely consumed by postimpact fire, except for the left wing. The glider was not examined, and the wreckage was disposed of before examination could take place. The pilot’s experience in the accident glider was not determined. Autopsy revealed an implanted pacemaker/defibrillator that was not interrogated by the medical examiner. Although the condition of having an abnormal heart rhythm placed the pilot at increased risk of a sudden cardiac event, operational evidence does not suggest that such an event occurred, and it is unlikely that the pilot’s cardiovascular disease was a factor in this accident. Toxicology detected therapeutic levels of the antidepressant duloxetine in the pilot’s blood and the presence of the antidepressant amitriptyline and its active metabolite nortriptyline in the pilot’s liver tissue. Nortriptyline was also detected in cardiac blood, likely at therapeutic levels. Side effects of these medications include drowsiness and dizziness, especially when first starting the medications. The reason, duration of time he used the medication, and whether he had side effects from the medications are unknown; therefore, whether the effects of the pilot’s use of duloxetine and amitriptyline were a factor in this accident could not be determined. The glider’s rapid climb after takeoff and subsequent vertical descent are consistent with an inflight loss of control; however, because the glider was not examined after the accident, whether a mechanical malfunction or anomaly contributed to the loss of control could not be determined based on the available information.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Unknown or undetermined during unknown
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Compact Radial Engines MZ 35 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BDN Bend OR
- Destination: BDN Bend OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:15 pm from KBDN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 WPR20LA201.