- Date
- April 26, 1990, 14:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Unionville, PA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9856ESchweizer SGS-1-26B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900426011849A
- Case key
- 36632
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 loss of thermal lift which necessitated a forced landing on unsuitable terrain covered by trees and high obstructions.
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
While maintaining an altitude of 1500 feet, light rain was encountered and the glider began losing lift. A decision was made to land in the valley that paralleled the gliderport. During roll out after touchdown, the ground dropped causing the glider to become airborne again, and another landing was attempted in another field. However, the glider struck some trees and was damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9856E
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS-1-26B
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 322
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jerome E. Ruthman
- Registered owner
- Red Wing Soaring Club
- Departed
- Julian, PA
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Flight hours
- 2,225 total · 100 in this make and model · 1,000 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- 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.