- Date
- July 2, 1982, 16:55 local (Jul 3, 1982, 02:55 UTC)
- Place
- Dillingham, HI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N7657Schweizer SGS 1-34
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 2, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820702070859A
- Case key
- 70478
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
The glider was about 5 feet above the rwy during a tow takeoff with the L-19 tow plane about ready to leave the ground when the glider plt switched hands on the control stick & apparently hit the cockpit canopy latch causing the canopy to open violently. The plt was unable to close the canopy. Since he was barely able to maintain level flight, he pulled the tow release at about 10 feet AGL. The glider pitched violently downward to the rwy hitting hard on the nose & then hard on the tail. The plt said the elevator controls froze due to internal damage in the tail & the glider bounced another 3 or 4 times out of control unitl it finally came to a halt on the right side of the rwy.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7657
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 1-34
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 37
- Airframe hours
- 932
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Honolulu Soaring Club
- Registered owner
- Honolulu Soaring Club
- Departed
- Dillingham, HI
- Destination
- Dillingham, HI
- Airport
- Dillingham, runway 8, 8,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 30
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 205 total · 9 in this make and model · 149 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Temperature
- 176 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.