Glasflugel STANDARD LIBELLE accident near Moriarty, New Mexico, October 11, 2024
On October 11, 2024 at about 8:10 pm local time, a 1972 Glasflugel STANDARD LIBELLE (glider), registered N41FL, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Moriarty, New Mexico (Moriarty Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain an adequate glidepath, which resulted in the glider landing on rough terrain short of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 2024 · about 8:10 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Moriarty, New Mexico · Moriarty Municipal Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Glasflugel STANDARD LIBELLE, built 1972 · all STANDARD LIBELLEs on the register
- Registration
- N41FL · registry record · serial 292
- 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 glider reported that, while on the downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern, he partially deployed the flight spoilers and extended his downwind leg as the glider was too high. He misjudged his distance to the runway during this time and the glider lost more altitude than the pilot had anticipated. The pilot flared during final; however, the glider impacted rough terrain short of the runway threshold. The glider sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Landing area undershoot during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,131 hours in all; 67 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,021 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 25, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 730.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 695 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Departed from: 0E0 Moriarty NM at 7:06 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 7,702 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 14 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.40 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KCQC, 17 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KCQC 111953Z AUTO 31014G22KT 10SM CLR 26/M08 A3040 RMK AO2 SLP200 T02561083
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – View of the glider from the front left.
Photograph 2 – View of the glider from aft left.
Photograph 3 – View of substantial damage to empennage.The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 8, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N41FL on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Glasflugel STANDARD LIBELLE 54 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Glasflugel 191 aircraft on the register
- Moriarty Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,111 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR25LA015.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.