- Date
- July 16, 1994, 17:35 local (22:35 UTC)
- Place
- Littlefield, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N33915Schweizer SGS 1-26E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 12, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940716018529A
- Case key
- 19112
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
An inadvertent stall. Factors were low altitude and airspeed at the beginning of the downwind turn.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Witnesses said the pilot completed a glider competition low and slow at the finish. The pilot turned left onto the downwind leg, followed by a steep left turn and nose pitch down. Impact occurred nose low still turning left.
Factual narrative
On July 16, 1994, approximately 1735 central daylight time, a Schweizer SGS 1-26E, N33915, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while maneuvering at Littlefield, Texas. The commercial pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
According to the pilot's husband, his wife was participating in a glider competition. Because of her injuries, she had no recollection of the accident. Enclosed witness documents report that the glider crossed the finish fence low and slow and started a left turn at mid field to a downwind leg, followed by the left wing dropping and a nose down pitch. They related that impact was nose low, still turning left.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N33915
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 1-26E
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 625
- Airframe hours
- 475
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lathrop, Gayle P.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 22, 1994 · 13 hours before
- Airport
- Q00 · Littlefield Municipal
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 279 total · 248 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 15 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LBB, 33 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.