Schweizer SGS233A accident near Franklinton, North Carolina, May 30, 1996
On May 30, 1996 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS233A (glider), registered N1197S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Franklinton, North Carolina (North Raleigh 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 failure of the instructor pilot to maintain control of the aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 1996 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Franklinton, North Carolina · North Raleigh · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS233A
- Registration
- N1197S · no longer on the register · serial 0197
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor pilot stated that the student pilot was operating the aircraft controls during the landing approach. The glider started to drift right of the runway centerline. As the glider drifted farther, the instructor took over the controls. He reported having full deflection of the flight controls to counteract the drift, but the glider continued to drift. The right wing tip of the glider then hit trees, and the glider spun until it came to rest in the trees approximately ten feet off the ground. The instructor pilot reported that the trees are about 25 feet from the edge of the runway.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,050 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1995; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,030 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 00NC North Raleigh NC at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 2,600 ft by 36 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from RDU, 25 miles away
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.