Scheibe Flugzeugbau L SPATZ-55 accident near Woodbine, Maryland, February 21, 1983
On February 21, 1983 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Scheibe Flugzeugbau L SPATZ-55 (glider), registered N8752R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Woodbine, Maryland (Woodbine Glider airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 21, 1983 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Woodbine, Maryland · Woodbine Glider · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Scheibe Flugzeugbau L SPATZ-55
- Registration
- N8752R · no longer on the register · serial 759
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A SNOWBANK DURING LANDING ROLL. THE TURF LANDING SITE WAS CLEAR BUT SNOW HAD BEEN PILED TWO TO FOUR FEET DEEP ALONGSIDE THE STRIP DURING THE CLEARING PROCESS. AS THE AIRCRAFT NEARED THE END OF THE STRIP DURING LANDING THE PILOT STEERED TO THE RIGHT TO PROVIDE MORE CLEARANCE FOR ANOTHER GLIDER WAITING FOR TAKEOFF. THE TURN PUT THE RIGHT WING OF THE LANDING GLIDER OVER THE CLEARING WHERE IT CONTACTED A HIGH POINT IN THE SNOWBANK. THE PILOT HAD RECENTLY BOUGHT THIS GLIDER AND WAS NOT YET USED TO ITS WIDER WING SPAN.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 43 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 31 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 374 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1982; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 583 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 1,620 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 275° at 5 knots, gusting 7
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.