Allstar Pzl SZD 51-1 Junior accident near Cherry Valley, Arkansas, May 24, 2006
On May 24, 2006 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Allstar Pzl SZD 51-1 Junior (glider), registered N751MS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cherry Valley, Arkansas (Lawrence Field Gliderport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a tree while on final to approach to landing. A contributing factor was the loss of thermal lift on final approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 2006 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Cherry Valley, Arkansas · Lawrence Field Gliderport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Allstar Pzl SZD 51-1 Junior
- Registration
- N751MS · registry record · serial 511.A.03.004
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After a glider flight of approximately one hour, the 4,674-hour commercial pilot was on final approach to land to the 3,638-foot long by 300-foot wide grass/turf runway. While on short final, the single-seat composite glider encountered "severe sink" and the left wingtip impacted a tree. The glider "cartwheeled" and came to rest in the upright position on the approach end of the runway 25. The pilot was extricated by rescue personal, who later reported his injuries as minor. No mechanical anomalies were reported with the airplane's flight controls. The pilot reported having accumulated 10 hours in the same make and model, with a total of 31.6 hours in gliders. The reported wind at the nearest airport with a weather reporting station, located about 35 nautical miles north of the accident site, were reported from 220 degrees at 5 knots, gusting to 12 knots. The pilot recommended that glider pilots use an "aim point" at least 800 feet further down the runway when landing in the future.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,674 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 4,465 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 144 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2006
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4AR5 Cherry Valley AR at 3:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,900 ft by 300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 63°F (17°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.
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.