- Date
- February 7, 1987, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Vacaville, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N17871Schweizer 2-32
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 21, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870207002199A
- Case key
- 25517
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
During a local sightseeing flight, the pilot was flying south approximately 300-500 ft above the ridge looking for lift. The pilot could not find sufficient lift in the area east of the ridge so he flew to the west side where the glider encountered a strong down draft. Due to the loss of altitude, the pilot was unable to return to the airport. A forced landing was made on a road that was lined with grapevines. The fuselage remained centered on the road, however, the wings collided with the lining grapevines.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N17871
- Reported as
- Schweizer 2-32
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 81
- Airframe hours
- 2,481
- Engine
- None NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Lagoon Valley Soaring
- Registered owner
- George R. Mayes
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 11, 1986 · 85 hours before
- Departed
- CA58 · Vacaville, CA
- Destination
- CA58
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
- 26
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 292 total · 21 in this make and model · 229 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SUU, 6 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.
Other investigations on N17871 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.