Schweizer SGS-2-33A accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado, April 17, 1982
On April 17, 1982 at about 9:10 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS-2-33A (glider), registered N2045T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado (Black Forest Gliderport airport). It was an instructional 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 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 1982 · about 9:10 pm local time · cases in 1982
- Place
- Colorado Spring, Colorado · Black Forest Gliderport · 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
- Schweizer SGS-2-33A · all SGS-2-33As on the register
- Registration
- N2045T · no longer on the register · serial 475
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT REPORTED THAT HE CAME OVER THE AIRPORT AT ABOUT 1200 FT AGL TO ENTER A DOWNWIND FOR LANDING. HE STATED THAT HE ENCOUNTERED A MODERATE TO STRONG SINK AND STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS. HE ESTIMATED THAT THE WIND VELOCITY WAS 45 TO 50 MPH AT 1000 FT AGL. IN ORDER TO PENETRATE, HE INCREASED HIS SPEED AT THE EXPENSE OF ALTITUDE AND TURNED DOWNWIND AT ABOUT 600 FT AGL. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WITH THE STRONG TAILWIND, HE OVERSHOT HIS REFERENCE POINT FOR A TURN TO BASE. AFTER TURNING BASE, THE AIRCRAFT DRIFTED FURTHER NORTH. HE THEN MADE A HARD TURN TO FINAL APPROACH, BUT WAS TOO LOW TO CLEAR TREES NORTH 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: student
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 20 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,400 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 393 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,040 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wave Flights, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: CO26 Colorado Spring CO
- Destination: CO26 Colorado Spring CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,000 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 35 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 149°F (65°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N2045T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2045T: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Schweizer SGS 2 gliders (2-33 and 2-32) 275 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schweizer 1,187 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Kutcher Airfield · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 384 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,455 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N2045T 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN82DA064.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.