- Date
- September 30, 1984, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Churchton, MD
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N5712SSchweizer SGS 2-33
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840930052489A
- Case key
- 35777
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 glider tow climbout, encounter with thermal resulted in momentary tow rope slack. Tow rope separated in overload when slack was taken up. Glider plt selected nearest open fld & set up landing pattern. On downwind leg, plt noted obstructions in fld, elected to divert to another fld straight ahead & recognized a downwind lndg would be required. Due to downhill slope in combination with tailwind, lndg roll went beyond clear area into higher grass. Acft collided with hidden stump.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5712S
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 2-33
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 58
- Airframe hours
- 980
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles W. Leatherman
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 1, 1984 · 85 hours before
- Departed
- Churchton, MD
- Airport
- ANP · Lee
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 116 total · 4 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 10 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.