Schweizer SGS 2 33A N3619T
4 October 2014 · Waynesboro, Virginia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 4 October 2014 at about 15:20 local time, a Schweizer SGS 2 33A registered N3619T, operated by Shenandoah Valley Soaring Inc, was involved in an accident near Waynesboro, Virginia, United States. 2 people were 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 15:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Waynesboro, Virginia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Eagle's Nest (W13)
- Coordinates
- 38.0769, -78.9444
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 2 33A
- Registration
- N3619T
- Category
- Glider
- Year built
- 1981
- Operator
- Shenandoah Valley Soaring Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Waynesboro → Waynesboro
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA15CA012
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The glider's inadvertent encounter with low altitude wind shear.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, there were some areas of turbulence during the glider's aero tow to 3,000 feet, but the tow was uneventful. The flight was then smooth until descent to about 1,200 feet above ground level, when conditions became "bumpy." Upon entering the traffic pattern for runway 24, the pilot increased normal approach airspeed by 10 knots in anticipation of gusty headwinds on final approach. The approach then proceeded "normally" until short final, when the glider encountered a "rogue" wind gust that "violently" rolled it about 90 degrees to the right, heading it away from runway centerline. By the time the pilot was able to level the wings, the glider was too low, necessitating an off-airport landing into small trees that resulted in left wing spar damage. Winds, recorded at a nearby airport about the time of the accident, were from 260 degrees true at 13, gusting to 19 knots. The pilot did not report any preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schweizer SGS-2 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct 2014 | Schweizer SGS 2 33A | Waynesville, Ohio, United States | Soaring Society of Dayton Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 2013 | Schweizer SGS 2-32 | Shirley, New York, United States | Long Island Soaring Assoc Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 4 May 2013 | Schweizer SGS 2-33A | Erwinna, Pennsylvania, United States | Civil Air Patrol | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 2013 | Schweizer SGS 2-33A | Erwinna, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 2015 | Schweizer SGS 2 32 | Middlefield, Ohio, United States | Cleveland Soaring Society Inc | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 2013 | Schweizer SGS 2-33A | Waynesville, Ohio, United States | Caesars Creek Soaring Club | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Sep 2014 | Piper J3C 65 | Carrol County, Virginia, United States | Heimos Bernard F | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Nov 2014 | Cessna 172 | Hinton, Virginia, United States | Fredrick Flight Center | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Jul 2014 | Cessna 162 | Winchester, Virginia, United States | Atlantic Airways | No injuries | - |
| 16 Jun 2014 | Bailey Robert MOYES DRAGONFLY | Melfa, Virginia, United States | William McCarter | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Sep 2014 | North American T 28C | Alton, Virginia, United States | Couch JON | Fatal | 2 |
| 24 Nov 2014 | Hiller OH 23B | Leesburg, Virginia, United States | Vertically Challenged LLC | No injuries | - |