- Date
- October 28, 2023, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Elmira, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N17903Schweizer SGS 2-33A
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing area overshoot
- 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
- 20231028020039A
- Case key
- 193339
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 attain a proper glidepath for a landing on the intended runway, which resulted in an off-airport landing and impact with soft terrain.
Findings · 2
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
At the conclusion of the glider flight, the pilot entered the left airport traffic pattern for landing, but the wind conditions had changed, so he maneuvered to the right traffic pattern. While on approach, the glider was too high, so he extended the dive brakes and attempted to slip the glider, but he was unable to lose enough altitude for a safe landing on the runway, and elected to land on an adjacent field. During touchdown, the nose of the glider dug into the soft terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe. The pilot stated there were no preimpact mechanical issues that precluded normal operation or performance and that he was “just too high” and unable to safely land on the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N17903
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 2-33A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 283
- Built
- 1973
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Harris Hill Soaring Corp
- Registered owner
- Harris Hill Soaring Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- None
- Airport
- 4NY8 · Harris Hill, runway 16, 1,115 × 150 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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 30,000 total · 220 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- BGM, 41 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KBGM 181953Z AUTO 25005KT 10SM OVC055 13/05 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP202 T01280050=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 4, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.2 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.