- Date
- April 16, 2022, 15:34 local (19:34 UTC)
- Place
- Zebulon, NC
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7784SSchweizer SGS 2-33A
- Defining event
- Landing: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- 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
- 20220416005522A
- Case key
- 104973
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 flight instructor’s failure to maintain directional control with a quartering tailwind.
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 flight instructor and student pilot were practicing a tow rope failure and were landing the glider with a light, quartering tailwind. On final approach the glider drifted right of the runway centerline and just before touchdown, the right wing struck a tree, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and canopy. The flight instructor reported that the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7784S
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 2-33A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 154
- Built
- 1969
- Airframe hours
- 4,091.2
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- North Carolina Soaring Association
- Registered owner
- North Carolina Soaring Association
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 21, 2021
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 7NC5 · Crooked Creek Airfield, runway 22, 2,500 × 80 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Unknown
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 30, 2021
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,496 total · 31 in this make and model · 2,426 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 15
- Injuries
- Minor
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 4 total · 4 in this make and model · 3 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.99 inHg
- Observed at
- LHZ, 7 nm away
- METAR
- KLHZ 161935Z AUTO 21010KT 10SM SCT040 SCT049 SCT055 22/13 A2999 RMK AO2
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 31, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.0 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.