Schweizer SGS 1-26A N2707Z
19 May 2007 · Lake Elsinore, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 19 May 2007 at about 21:00 local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-26A registered N2707Z, operated by Nikolas Dane Snow Kruhmin, was involved in an accident near Lake Elsinore, California, 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 21:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lake Elsinore, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Skylark Field (CA89)
- Coordinates
- 33.6300, -117.3017
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-26A
- Registration
- N2707Z
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- Nikolas Dane Snow Kruhmin
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Lake Elsinore → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA07LA132
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The glider's encounter with a downdraft while in the traffic pattern, resulting in insufficient altitude to reach the airport. A contributing factor was the pilot's selection of an unsuitable off-airport landing area, which led to an on-ground collision with a fence and trees.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he took off at approximately 1330 local time and released from the tow plane at 2,800 feet above ground level (AGL). At the conclusion of the 30 minute flight, the pilot maneuvered the glider at 1,000 feet AGL to enter the downwind for the landing runway. According to the pilot, at the point where he normally entered the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the glider "encountered massive sink." The pilot determined that he would not make it back to the airport and searched for a place to land. The pilot maneuvered over some power lines and touched down on a roadway adjacent to a park The pilot started braking upon landing on the road, but the left wingtip wheel caught on a curb and turned the glider 90 degrees to the left. The glider exited the paved road and came to a stop, upright, as each wing impacted a small tree, and the nose of the glider impacted a wooden fence. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schweizer SGS-1 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jul 2007 | Schweizer SGS 1-26E | Big Flats, New York, United States | Jashia E Murphy | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jul 2007 | Schweizer SGS 1-26C | Windsor, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Jul 2007 | Schweizer SGS 1-35C | Northfield, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 May 2006 | Schweizer SGS 1-26D | Aguila, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 May 2006 | Schweizer SGS 1-35 | Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Sep 2009 | Schweizer SGS 1-34 | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | William R Klesse | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jun 2007 | Piper PA-28-180 | Rosamond, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 2007 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2C | Bridgeport, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 May 2007 | Schweizer SGS2-33A | Los Alamitos, California, United States | Civil Air Patrol - California Wing | No injuries | - |
| 25 May 2007 | Westland WASP HAS MK1 | Ramona, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 2007 | Cessna 152 | Tracy, California, United States | California Airways | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 May 2007 | Skygear SKYGEAR | Chino, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |