- Date
- June 5, 2021, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sanford, ME
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7776SSchweizer SGS 2-33A
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210605006829A
- Case key
- 103238
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 directional control while landing in gusting wind conditions.
Findings · 3
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 during landing, a gust of wind displaced the glider laterally to the left. She attempted to maneuver for a normal landing on the grass runway; however, the glider was too low to maneuver around a parked glider. She landed at an angle on the runway, and the glider ground looped and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the glider on runway 25 with wind from 260° at 12 knots, gusting to 17 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7776S
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 2-33A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 146
- Built
- 1969
- Airframe hours
- 2,200
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sanford Soaring Club
- Registered owner
- Sanford Soaring Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 23, 2021
- Airport
- SFM · Sanford Seacoast Rgnl, runway 25, 5,000 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- None
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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 27, 2021
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 100 in this make and model · 2,800 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.74 inHg
- Observed at
- SFM
- METAR
- METAR KSFM 051956Z AUTO 26012G17KT 10SM FEW070 SCT080 OVC100 32/18 A2974 RMK AO2 SLP073 T03170178=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 3, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.2 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.
Other investigations on N7776S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.