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DEN87LA175

1987-07-08 · HOBBS, New Mexico, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

N71JD has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (ALEXANDER JOHN D QUAD CTY CHLNGR II), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE PVT PLT WAS FLYING IN A NATIONAL SOARING CONTEST. THE GLIDER WAS TOWED TO 2000 FEET AGL AND RELEASED. THE PLT REPORTED MAKING A CLIMBING RIGHT TURN AFTER RELEASE, HOWEVER HE NOTICED THAT THE CONTROL STICK WAS MORE AFT THAN NORMAL. AS THE FLIGHT PROGRESSED, THE STICK CAME TO A FULL AFT POSITION. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO GET ANY UP ELEVATOR CONTROL RESPONSE. THE ALTITUDE HAD DETERIORATED TO 1300 FEET AGL. THE PLT BAILED OUT SUCCESSFULLY. THE ACFT INVERTED, ENTERED A FLAT SPIN AND CRASHED. THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE BELIEVED THE ELEVATOR CONTROL WAS INADVERTENTLY ASSEMBLED IMPROPERLY. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DID NOT REVEAL EVIDENCE TO EXPLAIN REPORTED LOSS OF ELEVATOR CONTROL. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1987_DEN87LA175.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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