Schweizer SGS 2-33A N1241S
19 April 2003 · Sterling, Massachusetts, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 19 April 2003 at about 20:30 local time, a Schweizer SGS 2-33A registered N1241S was involved in an accident near Sterling, Massachusetts, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Sterling, Massachusetts, United States
- Nearest airport
- Sterling Airport (3B3)
- Coordinates
- 42.4258, -71.7928
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 2-33A
- Registration
- N1241S
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sterling → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- IAD03LA046
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The student pilot's misjudgment of his traffic pattern altitudes, which resulted in a premature descent into a tree.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
After practicing maneuvers at 5,000 feet, the student pilot returned to the airport. He entered the downwind leg at an altitude about 850 feet above the ground. He continued to descend, using airbrakes, until he realized he was too low, about 250 feet above the ground. He then tried to "cut the corners" of the traffic pattern in an attempt to make it to the runway; however, the glider's right wing impacted a tree.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schweizer SGS-2 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep 2004 | Schweizer SGS 2-33A | Maricopa, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Feb 2002 | Schweizer SGS 2-33A | Warner Springs, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Apr 2004 | Schweizer SGS 2-33A | Lake Village, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jul 2004 | Schweizer SGS 2-33 | Warrensburg, Missouri, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Mar 2002 | Schweizer SGS 2-32 | Peoria, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Sep 2005 | Schweizer SGS-2-33A | Windsor, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Aug 2003 | Beechcraft 1900D | Yarmouth, Massachusetts, United States | Colgan Air Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 7 May 2003 | Bombardier CL-600-2B19 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jan 2003 | Robinson R-22B | Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States | Robert C. Herr | No injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 2003 | Boeing 737 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jun 2003 | Aviat A-1 | Tyringham, Massachusetts, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Jul 2003 | Piper PA-32R-301 | Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States | - | No injuries | - |