- Date
- July 1, 1989, 16:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Elmira, NY
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2746HSchweizer 1-26
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 29, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890701018899A
- Case key
- 36426
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
An inadvertent encounter with a downdraft.
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 pilot of the Schweizer glider was participating in a glider meet and while attempting to get back to the airport he experienced a down draft which caused him to lose altitude. Attempting to make a field for an off arpt landing the pilot said that he hit a pole which turned the aircraft 180 degrees before it collided with the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2746H
- Reported as
- Schweizer 1-26
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 666
- Airframe hours
- 641
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas R.Hankinson
- Registered owner
- T.R. Hankinson/K.R. Franz
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 2, 1988 · 69 hours before
- Departed
- Elmira, NY
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
- 28
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 253 total · 190 in this make and model · 221 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °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.