Schweizer SGS 1-36 accident near Jacksonville, Florida, May 28, 2010
On May 28, 2010 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-36 (glider), registered N36204, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Jacksonville, Florida (Cecil Field Airport). 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 glider pilot’s delayed decision to divert following a loss of thermal lift.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 2010 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, Florida · Cecil Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-36 · all SGS 1-36s on the register
- Registration
- N36204 · registry record · serial 35
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that his glider was towed to 3,000 feet above ground level (AGL) for a local soaring flight. He climbed the glider to 6,000 feet in a training area about 13 miles from the departure airport, where he "encountered sink." The pilot then obtained a landing clearance at an airport about 8 miles from his position, but the glider continued to sink, and struck an airport perimeter fence short of the landing runway. The off-airport landing resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage structures. According to the glider's Pilot Operating Manual, the maximum glide ratio at maximum gross weight was 31:1. The pilot reported there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the glider.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of lift during maneuvering defining event
- Landing area undershoot during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Thermal lifting › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,069 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 923 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 3, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,362 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 6, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 710 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Nfss INC
The flight
- Departed from: HEG Jacksonville FL at 5:00 pm
- Destination: HEG Jacksonville FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09L, 8,002 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from KVQQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.