Schweizer SGS 2-32 accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado, May 5, 1985
On May 5, 1985 at about 7:42 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 2-32 (glider), registered N2477W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Colorado Spring, Colorado (Black Forest 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 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 1985 · about 7:42 pm local time
- Place
- Colorado Spring, Colorado · Black Forest · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 2-32 · all SGS 2-32s on the register
- Registration
- N2477W · no longer on the register · serial 51
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE GLIDER COLLIDED WITH A PARKED ACFT FOLLOWING A LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING THE LANDING ROLL. THE PLT REPORTED THE LEFT WING DIPPED DURING THE LANDING ROLL BECAUSE OF THE X-WIND. THE LEFT WING TIP WHEEL DUG INTO AN AREA OF SOFT SAND BESIDE THE RWY AND THE WHEEL SNAGGED A TOW ROPE WHICH WAS LYING ALONG THE EDGE OF THE RWY. THE GLIDER WAS PULLED APRX 30 DEGS TO THE LEFT AND IMPACTED THE PARKED ACFT. THE WING SPAN OF THE GLIDER IS WIDER THAN THE WIDTH OF THE RWY.
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
- Flight time: 92 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 38 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,835 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 15, 1984; 71 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 17, 5,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N2477W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.