- Date
- July 1, 1988, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Montague, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2726ZSchweizer SGS-1-26A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 7, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880701024719A
- Case key
- 26052
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 pleasure flight, the last transmission by the pilot stated he was going to see what the glider could do besides straight and level flight. Witnesses in the area reported that they heard a loud pop and observed the glider, minus the left wing, in a vertical descent and collide with the terrain. The wing spar broke two feet from the root. A metallurgical test performed on the spar reported that the spar broke in a positive (up) overload. Post acc invest revealed the acft was placarded for plt wt not to exceed 166 lbs. The rec plt weighed 210 lbs. A Schweizer service bulletin restricts this sailplane from aerobatics.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2726Z
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS-1-26A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 245
- Airframe hours
- 360
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Montague Aviation
- Registered owner
- Weathers, Terry M.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 16, 1988 · 25 hours before
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
- 59
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 775 total · 103 in this make and model · 734 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.