- Date
- June 1, 2025, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hampshire, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9839ESchweizer SGS 1-26C
- Defining event
- Landing: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20250601012739A
- Case key
- 200294
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 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.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9839E
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 1-26C
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 270
- Built
- 1965
- Airframe hours
- 850
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 27, 2025
- Airport
- 55LL · Sky Soaring, runway 09/27, 3,000 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 79
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Last flight review
- April 14, 2024
- Seat
- Single
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- KDKB, 16 nm away
- METAR
- KDKB 011955Z AUTO 35006KT 10SM CLR 23/05 A2993 RMK AO2 T02310046
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 17, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 9.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.