Schweizer SGS 1-26A N3878A
10 March 2002 · Strausburg, Virginia, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 10 March 2002 at about 15:10 local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-26A registered N3878A was involved in an accident near Strausburg, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Strausburg, Virginia, United States
- Coordinates
- 38.9508, -78.3200
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-26A
- Registration
- N3878A
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Front Royal → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- IAD02LA036
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate evaluation of weather resulted in a loss of thermal lift, which resulted in an impact with trees.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The glider was towed to altitude by a tow plane, and once released, the pilot flew towards the northeast portion of a mountain ridge to take advantage of "booming ridge lift." As the glider approached the ridge, it encountered insufficient thermal lift to maintain altitude, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a field. The pilot flew a traffic pattern approach, and during the downwind leg, the glider continued to lose altitude. As the pilot made a right turn onto the base leg of the traffic pattern, the glider's right wing struck a tree and the glider impacted the ground in a 70-degree nose down attitude. The pilot received an "outlook" weather briefing about 24 hours before his flight, which forecasted the winds to be from 290 degrees at 20 knots, with higher gusts. He did not receive an additional weather briefing; however, his visual observation of two wind socks at the airport indicated the winds were in agreement with the forecast. Examination of the glider revealed no mechanical deficiencies.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schweizer SGS-1 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Aug 2002 | Schweizer SGS 1-26B | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 2002 | Schweizer SGS 1-34 | Decatur, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 Sep 2001 | Schweizer SGS 1-35 | Cumberland, Maryland, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 May 2001 | Schweizer SGS 1-26E | New Milford, Connecticut, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 May 2001 | Schweizer SGS 1-34 | Adelanto, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Feb 2001 | Schweizer SGS 1-26E | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Nov 2002 | Boeing Stearman A75 | Glade Spring, Virginia, United States | William A. Goodwin | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 2002 | Micket AVID AEROBAT | Chesapeake, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Nov 2002 | Beechcraft C35 | Reedville, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 2002 | Annis FISHER FP-202 | Parksley, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 May 2002 | Cessna 152M | Forest, Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Aug 2002 | Piper PA-28-180 | Deerfield, Virginia, United States | John P. Zachary | Fatal | 2 |