- Date
- April 26, 2025, 12:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Ontario, OR
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8657RSchweizer SGS 1-26B
- Defining event
- Landing: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 14, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20250426006699A
- Case key
- 200078
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 pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during the final approach to land, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.
Findings · 3
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 glider pilot was on a local flight and returning to a local airport to land. While the pilot maneuvered the airplane onto the final approach leg of the traffic pattern, the airplane descended. Subsequently, the right wing dropped and impacted the ground 0.5 miles short of the runway. The right wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported to the insurance company that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot did not submit the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8657R
- Reported as
- Schweizer SGS 1-26B
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 193
- Built
- 1963
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Unknown
- Airport
- ONO · Ontario Muni, runway 15/33, 5,006 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 72
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Medical
- Unknown
- Last flight review
- April 26, 2025
- Seat
- Single
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.77 inHg
- Observed at
- KONO
- METAR
- METAR KONO 261753Z AUTO 32005KT 10SM FEW041 17/07 A2977 RMK AO2 SLP075 T01720067 10178 20100 58006=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 14, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 152 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.