Schleicher ASW-27b accident near Encinal, Texas, August 8, 2005
On August 8, 2005 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Schleicher ASW-27b (glider), registered N274DW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Encinal, Texas (Ap Ranch 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 pilot's misjudgment of distance and altitude during a cross-country soaring flight. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 2005 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Encinal, Texas · Ap Ranch Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW-27b · all ASW-27bs on the register
- Registration
- N274DW · no longer on the register · serial 27189
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 5,635-hour commercial glider pilot encountered poor lift thermal conditions while attempting to fly a cross-country competition flight. The pilot lost lift and decided to turn towards an airfield. As the pilot approached the field it became clear that the airport had been abandoned and was unsuitable for landing. The pilot elected to land on a dirt road. As the glider was touching down a cactus caught the left wing, which turned the glider into a fence. The left wing then came into contact with a fence post and a 180-degree ground loop followed.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,635 hours in all; 195 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 4,835 as pilot in command; 1,695 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,102 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UVA Uvalde TX at 6:00 pm
- Destination: UVA Uvalde TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,700 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from LRD, 28 miles away
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.
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.