- Date
- August 7, 1988, 11:40 local (15:40 UTC)
- Place
- Kutztown, PA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N65920Schweizer SGS 1-34
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880807034989A
- Case key
- 36202
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
Loss of control during takeoff after the canopy came open. Contributing was the failure of the pilot to properly close the canopy prior to takeoff.
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 Schweizer 1-34 glider was being towed aloft by a powered aircraft when the canopy of the glider came open in flight. The pilot tried to lock the canopy, however he lost control and the glider pitched up. The tow plane was placed in nose down attitude and he released the glider. The glider impacted on the runway in a nose low attitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65920
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 1-34
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 90
- Airframe hours
- 916
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kutztown Aviation Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 3, 1988 · 34 hours before
- Airport
- N31 · Kutztown, runway 17, 1,930 × 50 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
- 16
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 43 total · 1 in this make and model · 7 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.