Schweizer SGS 1-34R accident near Maylene, Alabama, August 27, 1994
On August 27, 1994 at about 6:10 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-34R (glider), registered N1132S, was destroyed in an accident near Maylene, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT, RESULTING IN AN OVERLOAD FAILURE OF THE WING SPAR, AND SEPARATION OF THE LEFT WING FROM THE AIRCRAFT. A FACTOR WAS THE PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL FLYING EXPERIENCE IN THIS MODEL OF AIRCRAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 1994 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- Maylene, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-34R · all SGS 1-34Rs on the register
- Registration
- N1132S · no longer on the register · serial 62
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ON A LOCAL FLIGHT, ABOUT TWO MILES NORTHWEST OF THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. WITNESSES HEARD A LOUD NOISE, THEN OBSERVED A WING SEPARATE FROM THE GLIDER, WHILE THE GLIDER WAS MANEUVERING. THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS FOUND IN A WOODED AREA, ABOUT 1,000 FEET EAST OF WHERE THE SEPARATED LEFT WING WAS LOCATED. FRACTURE EXAMINATION OF THE LEFT WING SPAR SHOWED EVIDENCE OF OVERLOAD. THERE WAS ALSO EVIDENCE OF HIGH G-LOADING ON THE WING SKIN AND SPAR CARRY THROUGH AREAS. PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT HAD LOGGED 53 HOURS OF FLYING TIME IN GLIDERS (153 FLIGHTS). HE HAD FLOWN THE SGS 1-34R ON TWO OCCASIONS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, WITH A TOTAL FLIGHT TIME OF .8 HOURS. THE MAJORITY OF HIS FLYING TIME WAS LOGGED IN THE SGS 2-33.
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: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 53 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 41 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,424 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 28, 1993; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 840 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Birmingham Soaring Society INC
The flight
- Departed from: 29A Montevallo AL at 5:40 pm
- Destination: 29A AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from BHM, 25 miles away
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.