- Date
- July 23, 1989, 16:20 local (21:20 UTC)
- Place
- Alabaster, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N65943Schweizer SGS 1-26E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890723025169A
- Case key
- 8049
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The glider pilot's poor evaluation of area weather conditions during the flight, which necessitated an off-airport precautionary landing and led to a collision with rough terrain during the landing rollout. Factors contributing to the accident were the thunderstorms in the area, the pilot's complacency regarding area weather conditions, and the unsuitable terrain which existed at the landing site.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The glider plt reported that he was unable to return to the departure airport after encountering t-storms that had moved into the area. He subseuqnetly elected to make an off airport ldg. During the ldg, the glider collided with rough terrain and sustained structural damage to the right wing. The plt attributed the cause of the accident to complacency and poor judgement: he stated that he was complacent about the wx even though scattered t-storms had been predicted. He also indicated that he used poor judgement by failing to expedite his return to the airport when he first observed the storm.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65943
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 1-26E
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 583
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Birmingham Soaring Society
- Departed
- 29A · Montevallo, AL
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Expired
- Flight hours
- 180 total · 2 in this make and model · 180 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 12 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.