- Date
- January 29, 2007, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bath, PA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N32BMSchweizer SGS 2-32
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Allentown FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070129000879A
- Case key
- 65214
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
The pilot's misjudged altitude/distance while on approach, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees during an off airport landing. A factor in the accident was the loss of lift.
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 collided with trees while the pilot was attempting an off airport landing. The glider was towed to an altitude of 3,000 feet and released. The pilot flew around a ridgeline for about 30 minutes, and when the lift dissipated, he elected to attempt a landing in a corn field. During the base to final approach turn, the glider impacted trees prior to coming to rest in the field. The outboard 6 feet of the glider's left wing separated, and the fuselage was damaged. The pilot reported that he extended the downwind leg too far, and did not compensate adequately for winds. Winds were reported about the time of the accident, at an airport located 22 miles north of the accident site, from 290 degrees at 8 knots. The pilot reported 3,400 hours of total glider flight experience, which included about 300 hours in the same make and model as the accident glider.
Factual narrative
The Schweizer SGS 2-32 glider was towed to an altitude of 3,000 feet and released. The pilot flew around a ridgeline for about 30 minutes, and when the lift dissipated, he elected to attempt a landing to a corn field. During the base to final approach turn, the glider impacted trees, prior to coming to rest in the field. The outboard 6 feet of the glider's left wing separated, and the fuselage was damaged. The pilot reported that he extended the downwind leg too far, and did not compensate adequately for winds. Winds reported about the time of the accident, at an airport located 22 miles north of the accident site, were from 290 at 8 knots. The pilot reported 3,400 hours of total glider flight experience, which included about 300 hours in the same make and model as the accident glider.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N32BM
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 2-32
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 33
- Airframe hours
- 6,600
- Engine
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert E. Cook
- Registered owner
- James R. Angelou
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 1N7 · Blairstown, PA
- Destination
- 1N7 · Bath, PA
- Airport
- 1N7 · Blairstown
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 18 °F, dew point 1 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Observed at
- MPO, 22 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.