Schweizer SGS 1-26C N9839E

Summary

On 1 June 2025 at about 20:00 local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-26C registered N9839E was involved in an accident near Hampshire, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 June 2025 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Hampshire, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Sky Soaring (55LL)

Coordinates

42.1540, -88.5115

Aircraft

Schweizer SGS 1-26C

Registration

N9839E

Category

Glider

Year built

1965

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA202

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper altitude during the approach, which resulted in overshooting the landing area, a runway excursion, and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while maneuvering the glider for landing on runway 27, he encountered unexpected lift and then used a side slip maneuver to descend. He descended too low to continue the approach, so he maneuvered to land on runway 9 and landed about two-thirds of the way down the runway. The glider overran the departure end of the runway and impacted terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.