- Date
- July 20, 2013, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Hood River, OR
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2052TSchweizer SGS 2-33A
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern base: Loss of lift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 19, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA Hillsboro FSDO
- FAA report
- 20130720014429A
- Case key
- 87523
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 glider encountered atmospheric conditions where the lift was not sufficient to maintain flight, which resulted in an off airport landing on rough terrain.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that the glider was 2 miles from the airport on an extended base leg, when it encountered a loss of lift. He could not make it to the runway, so he landed off airport in a field, which was too short for a normal rollout. The pilot intentionally ground-looped the glider to avoid a fence, but the terrain was rough, and the fuselage and right wing were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that the glider was 2 miles from the airport on an extended base leg, when it encountered a loss of lift. He could not make it to the runway, so he landed off airport in a field, which was too short for a normal rollout. The pilot intentionally ground-looped the glider to avoid a fence, but the terrain was rough, and the fuselage and right wing were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2052T
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 2-33A
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 497
- Airframe hours
- 2,254
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gary Boggs
- Registered owner
- Gary Boggs
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 20, 2013
- Departed
- 4S2 · Hood River, OR
- Destination
- 4S2 · Hood River, OR
- Airport
- 4S2 · Hood River, runway 25, 3,000 × 75 ft
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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Last flight review
- September 25, 2011
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 3,200 total · 1,200 in this make and model · 3,100 as pilot in command · 183 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 16 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KCZK
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 7, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 874 KB in all.
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 N2052T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.