Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Schempp-Hirth Ventus 3F, N753R: Fatal accident occurred July 10, 2018 near Moriarty Airport (0E0), Torrance County, New Mexico

The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Albuquerque, New Mexico

Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

http://registry.faa.gov/N753R

Location: Moriarty, NM
Accident Number: CEN18FA262
Date & Time: 07/10/2018, 1507 MDT
Registration: N753R
Aircraft: SCHEMPP-HIRTH FLUGZEUGBAU GMBH VENTUS 3F
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

On July 10, 2018, about 1507 mountain daylight time, a Schempp-Hirth Flugzenbau GMBH Ventus 3F motorized glider, N753R, impacted terrain 1/2 mile southeast of the Moriarty Municipal Airport (0E0), Moriarty, New Mexico. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries and the glider was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by the private pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight that originated from 0E0 about 1352.

The glider was reported missing when the pilot did not return to 0E0 when expected. A search for the glider was initiated. A tow plane flying in the area found the glider about 1945.

The glider was equipped with a FLARM electronic flight collision alerting device, which records flight track, altitude, and airspeed. About 11 seconds prior to impact with the ground, the glider entered a left hand descending spiral at an airspeed of 48 knots, which continued to ground impact. 

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: SCHEMPP-HIRTH FLUGZEUGBAU GMBH
Registration: N753R
Model/Series: VENTUS 3F
Aircraft Category: Glider
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site:
Condition of Light:
Observation Facility, Elevation:
Observation Time:
Distance from Accident Site:
Temperature/Dew Point:
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction:  / ,
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility:  
Altimeter Setting:
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Moriarty, NM (0E0)
Destination: Moriarty, NM (0E0) 

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 34.978056, -106.000000 (est) 

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. 

Renard “Renny” Rozzoni aboard one of several gliders he owned in his over 40 years of flying. 
(Courtesy of Jennifer Rozzoni)

Albuquerque resident Renard “Renny” Rozzoni had a passion for flying – the 65-year-old could often be found soaring above the desert landscape east of Albuquerque.

“I think he really enjoyed the challenge – finding the lift and going the distance,” his daughter Jennifer Rozzoni told the Journal on Wednesday.

Tragedy struck Tuesday afternoon when Rozzoni died after his glider crashed in Torrance County, just a few miles east of Moriarty Airport.

New Mexico State Police Lt. Elizabeth Armijo said authorities did not know what led to the crash and the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

The FAA could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

Rozzoni said her father had flown gliders for more than 40 years and, since retiring from Exxon Mobil, would fly out of Moriarty Airport at least twice a week, if not more.

So when he left home Tuesday morning, it was business as usual.

“He dropped my brother off at work and went out to the field like he normally would do,” Rozzoni said.

She said his newest glider, a 2017 Ventus 3F bought about six months ago, had technology on board that allowed his wife, Joan, to track him by GPS.

“Once you land, it stops tracking,” Rozzoni said, which happened around 3 p.m. Tuesday.

When his wife hadn’t heard from him by 5 p.m., she got worried and called authorities who started searching the area around the airport.

They found the crashed glider on private land near Stage Coach Lane. Rozzoni was pronounced dead at the scene.

Through tears, Jennifer Rozzoni called her father a “smart, gregarious and outgoing” man who loved spaghetti Westerns.

“People really gravitated towards him,” she said. “We loved him very much.

Original article can be found here ➤  https://www.abqjournal.com

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