- Date
- October 26, 1991, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Waynesboro, VA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N34396Schweizer SGS 2-33A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11746
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
Improper in-flight planning/decision by the instructor (CFI). Contributing to the accident was the instructor's failure to properly monitor the student's performance.
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 student glider pilot realized that he had drifted too FAR from his departure field. He asked the instructor to take control of the aircraft. The instructor considered landing in an open field but decided to attempt to return to the airport. As the instructor maneuvered for the approach over a high point of ground, the glider struck the top of a tree and crashed short of the airport.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N34396
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 2-33A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 417
- Airframe hours
- 1,500
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Ridge Valley Soaring Club
- Registered owner
- Ridge Valley Soaring Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1991 · 95 hours before
- Airport
- W13 · Waynesboro
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
- 77
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 3,290 total · 955 in this make and model · 2,950 as pilot in command · 47 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CHO, 27 nm away