# Accident 20000623007759A: Scwzer SGS126C, Tehachapi, CA, June 23, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 23, 2000, 13:15 local time
- Place: Tehachapi, CA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: In Traffic Pattern-Circling
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.1194° N, 118.5094° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1194&lon=-118.5094&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2792Z, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2792Z) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Schweizer SGS 1-26C (registry code 8050120, https://openairdocs.org/model/schweizer-sgs-1-26c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SCWZER SGS126C
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 6,000 total, 50 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX00LA240](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00LA240) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000623007759A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) NO WITNESSES WERE AVAILABLE THAT SAW THE ENTIRE EVENT OF THIS ACCIDENT. AIRCRAFT WAS AT APPROX 300 TO 400 FT. AGL, FLYING BASE TO RUNWAY 27, AIRSPEED WAS LOW. PILOT INITIATED A TURN TO THE RIGHT (PARALLEL TO RUNWAY 27) EARLY, DUE TO LACK OF ENOUGH AIRSPEED TO REACH RUNWAY 27, WHILE PREPARING TO LAND IN THE FIELD NORTH OF RUNWAY 27. DURING THIS TURN TO THE RIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT WENT INTO A STALL AND CRASHED IN THE FIELD NORTH OF RUNWAY 27. AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MAJOR WING AND FUSELAGE DAMAGE. PILOT SURVIVED THE CRASH, AND LATER DIED AT THE TEHACHAPI HOSPITAL, APPROX 3 HOURS LATER FROM HEART FAILURE. (.4) THE GLIDER WAS OBSERVED TO CONTINUE IN A 360-DEGREE TURN UNTIL IT IMPACTED THE GROUND AFTER IT MADE THE DOWNWIND TO BASE TURN FOR LANDING. A WITNESS REPORTED HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH THE PILOT 2 DAYS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED TO THE WITNESS THAT THE FLIGHT HAD GONE WELL AND THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS NOTED WITH THE GLIDER. AN INSPECTION OF THE GLIDER WAS CONDUCTED. CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED FROM THE CONTROL STICK IN THE COCKPIT TO THE LEFT AILERON, RUDDER, AND ELEVATOR. ONE-THIRD OF THE RIGHT W                                                                    ING SEPARATED FROM THE WING STRUCTURE. CONTROL CONTINUITY OF THE OUTBOARD PORTION OF THE RIGHT WING FROM THE AILERON TO THE SEPARATED CONTROL TUBE WAS ESTABLISHED. NO FURTHER DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX00LA240](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00LA240), Jun 23, 2000: Schweizer SGS 1-26C (N2792Z), Tehachapi, CA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft speed and control while maneuvering to land.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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