Schweizer SGS 1-26E N33873

Summary

On 15 April 2023 at about 19:11 local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-26E registered N33873, operated by North Carolina Soaring Association, was involved in an accident near Wake Forest, North Carolina, 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.

Date

15 April 2023 at 19:11

Classification

Accident

Location

Wake Forest, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Crooked Creek (7NC5)

Coordinates

35.8904, -78.4862

Aircraft

Schweizer SGS 1-26E

Registration

N33873

Category

Glider

Year built

1974

Operator

North Carolina Soaring Association

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA207

1 person had minor injuries.

The student pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during the landing approach, which resulted in an exceedance of the glider’s critical angle of attack, an aerodynamic stall, and a loss of control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the student pilot of the glider, another glider was still on the runway as he was entering the downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern for landing. He decided to land short of the turf runway and entered the glider into a forward slip in order to touch down in the intended area. He reported that, upon removing the slip, he noted that the airspeed decayed “from 60 to 30,” and about 40 to 45 ft above the ground, he realized that the glider was “stalled” and that he “had no control over the aircraft.” The glider impacted a parked tow airplane and terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the leading edge of the left wing and the aft fuselage. The student pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.