Schweizer SGS 2-33A accident near Falcon, Colorado, October 16, 1983
On October 16, 1983 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 2-33A (glider), registered N1232S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Falcon, Colorado (Meadow Lake airport). It was a personal 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 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
- October 16, 1983 · about 5:50 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Falcon, Colorado · Meadow Lake · cases near this airport · 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
- N1232S · registry record · serial 216
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE DESCENT FOR LANDING, THE PLT OBSERVED THAT THE WIND WAS FROM THE SOUTH. THE PLT DECIDED TO LAND DOWNWIND IN THE UPSLOPING DIRECTION OF THE GLIDER STRIP RATHER THAN UPWIND IN THE DOWNSLOPING DIRECTION. HE MADE HIS BASE LEG TOO CLOSE TO THE STRIP & HE WAS HIGH & FAST ON FINAL. DURING THE LANDING FLARE A GUST OF WIND RAISED THE LEFT WING WHICH CAUSED THE RIGHT WING TO DRAG & THE GLIDER TO GROUND LOOP. THE WIND WAS GUSTING TO 25 KTS.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 109 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 84 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,889 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 1983; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,040 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 1,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 15,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1232S on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- 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
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,483 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN84LA009.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.