Schweizer SGS-2-33A accident near Waynesville, Ohio, December 3, 1989
On December 3, 1989 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS-2-33A (glider), registered N2610H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waynesville, Ohio (Waynesville 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 DUAL STUDENT DID NOT MAINTAIN PROPER GLIDEPATH AND HIS MISJUDGMENT FOR COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS RESULTED IN A COLLISION WITH UTILITY WIRES. THE CFI'S INADEQUATE SUPERVISION DURING THE DUEL FLIGHT OPERATION CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 1989 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Waynesville, Ohio · Waynesville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS-2-33A · all SGS-2-33As on the register
- Registration
- N2610H · registry record · serial 430
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CFI STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING A LANDING IN A STRONG CROSSWIND, THE STUDENT PILOT MADE AN ABRUPT MOVEMENT OF THE ELEVATOR. THE INSTRUCTOR WAS UNABLE TO RECOVER BEFORE THE GLIDER STRUCK A WIRE. THE AIRCRAFT RECOILED INTO THE GROUND.
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: single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,526 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,485 as pilot in command; 265 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,300 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 30, 1989; 40 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 40I Waynesville OH at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,675 ft by 125 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; scat at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 pm from DAY, 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.