Schweizer SGS1-36 accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado, December 1, 1983
On December 1, 1983 at about 8:04 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS1-36 (glider), registered N3621B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado (Black Forest Glider Port 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 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
- December 1, 1983 · about 8:04 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Colorado Spring, Colorado · Black Forest Glider Port · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS1-36 · all SGS1-36s on the register
- Registration
- N3621B · registry record · serial 36
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT DURING HIS APCH TO LAND, THE GLIDER ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE. HE STATED THAT HE WAS 'UNABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL ON LANDING CONTACT WITH GROUND.' THE GLIDER TOUCHED DOWN IN A LEFT YAW. SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN, HE REGAINED DIRECTIONAL CONTROL & CONTINUED THE LANDING TO A NORMAL STOP. A POST FLT EXAM REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE GLIDER'S GEAR BOX. THE PLT BELIEVED THAT THE TURBULENCE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH A ROTOR IN THE 3RD STANDING WAVE CYCLE OF A MOUNTAIN WAVE.
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: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,539 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 2,358 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 219 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 840 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 5,200 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 30 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3621B on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schweizer SGS 1 gliders (1-26, 1-34, 1-35, 1-36) 581 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 7,486 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN84LA035.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.