- Date
- January 26, 1991, 13:07 local (18:07 UTC)
- Place
- Williamstown, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N5763SSchweizer SGS 2-33A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910126001159A
- Case key
- 36872
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 failure of the pilot to retract the speed brakes during the preflight, which resulted in the tow airplane being unable to attain sufficient altitude prior to releasing the glider, and the subsequent landing of the glider on unsuitable terrain.
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 did not retract the speed brakes prior to takeoff. The tow pilot was unable to attain sufficient altitude and airspeed and had to release the glider at a low altitude. The glider pilot then retracted the speed brakes, but he did not have enough altitude to climb. He made a forced landing and struck a pole. The glider pilot had a total of 26 hours in gliders.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5763S
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 2-33A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 96
- Engine
- unknown UNK/NA, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mohawk Soaring Club
- Registered owner
- Mohawk Soaring Club
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
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
- 70
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 3,004 total · 1,986 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.