Schweizer SGS-233 accident near Chester, South Carolina, May 19, 1985
On May 19, 1985 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS-233 (glider), registered N5724S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chester, South Carolina (Chester Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- May 19, 1985 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chester, South Carolina · Chester Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS-233
- Registration
- N5724S · no longer on the register · serial 68
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT CUT LOOSE FROM THE TOW PLANE AT 200 FT AGL DURING TAKEOFF TO SIMULATE A ROPE BREAK. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES WHILE CIRCLING TO LAND. CFI STATED THAT STUDENT PLT WAS TOO SLOW IN RETURNING TO LAND ON THE RWY.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 341 hours in all; 117 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 319 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,536 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 23, 1985; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,040 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.