ERA26LA346

On September 18, 2026, about 1426 eastern daylight time, a Schempp-Hirth Ventus-2B glider, N61XC, and a Schleicher ASW-24 glider, N94CG, collided in flight near Edinburg, New York. The pilot of the Schempp-Hirth was fatally injured and the glider was destroyed. The pilot of the Schleicher was not injured and the glider was substantially damaged. The gliders were operated as Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flights. The pilot of the Schleicher glider stated that there were four gliders flying in a thermal. They were flying at an altitude of about 5,000 ft mean sea level when the Schempp-Hirth glider descended from above and its left wing contacted the nose section of his glider. He further stated that he retained controllability of the glider, so he circled and landed at Plateau Sky Ranch Airport (1F2), Edinburg, New York. During the turn to circle the airport, the pilot of the Schleicher glider saw the left wing of the Schempp-Hirth fracture off before the glider fell to the ground. The Schempp-Hirth glider came to rest in a wooded area about 5 miles north of 1F2. The right wing and empennage were located near the impact crater. The glider was fractured into several pieces. The left wing was not located. Flight track data recovered from recording devices onboard both gliders were downloaded for further examination.