Schleicher ASW-20B accident near Waller, Texas, August 7, 2022
On August 7, 2022 at about 5:45 pm local time, a 1983 Schleicher ASW-20B (glider), registered N921M, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Waller, Texas (Soaring Club of Houston 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 pilot’s failure to maintain the proper descent rate during an off-airport landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2022 · about 5:45 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Waller, Texas · Soaring Club of Houston Glider · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW-20B, built 1983 · all ASW-20Bs on the register
- Registration
- N921M · no longer on the register · serial 20622
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider was being air towed by an airplane. The glider pilot reported that, the takeoff roll and liftoff were normal, but halfway down the runway, he heard an “unfamiliar wind noise in the cockpit.” He lost sight of the tow airplane and pulled his tow release handle. The pilot attempted to land straight ahead but was unsuccessful in deploying the airbrakes. Subsequently, he turned right to land between a hanger and trees. During the forced landing in a grass field, the empennage section sustained substantial damage. The glider pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 609 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 546 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 19, 2022
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,270 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 30, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 1,157 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Na (none); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 89TA Waller TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,000 ft by 300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,900 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 92°F (33°C), dew point 71°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.08 inHg
- Observation at 2:15 am from CLL, 14 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KTME 070715Z AUTO 00000KT 8SM BKN019 26/24 A3008 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on November 2, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N921M: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Schleicher ASW-20 101 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schleicher 506 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Na · as the NTSB recorded it
- Soaring Club Of Houston · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,065 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,945 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN22LA363.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.