- Date
- May 20, 1992, 16:20 local (22:20 UTC)
- Place
- Big Timber, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2739HSchweizer SGS-1-35C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920520015539A
- Case key
- 41676
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
Airspeed was not maintained. Factors to the accident were: no thermal lift and inadequate remedial action.
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 a cross country flight, the glider was unable to maintain altitude due to a loss of lift. The pilot initiated a forced landing to an open field. When approximately 30 feet AGL, the glider entered a high sink rate. The pilot reduced the angle of attack and retracted the flaps, however, the glider continued to sink and landed hard.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2739H
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS-1-35C
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 69
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ridge Runners Inc.
- Registered owner
- Ridge Runners Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- BZN · Bozeman, MT
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
- 29
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,300 total · 75 in this make and model · 1,900 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N2739H · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.