Schleicher ASW-28 accident near Hugguenot, New York, July 5, 2011
On July 5, 2011 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Schleicher ASW-28 (glider), registered N41ZX, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Hugguenot, New York. 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 attain the proper touchdown point during a tailwind landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 2011 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hugguenot, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW-28 · all ASW-28s on the register
- Registration
- N41ZX · no longer on the register · serial 28010
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot he experienced a loss of lift while soaring and performed an off-field landing to a field that was surrounded by powerlines and trees. He said that he landed further down the field than anticipated and the glider overran the runway, impacted a fence, crossed a road, and impacted another fence, causing substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot further reported that the flight log revealed a tailwind of approximately 13 knots on the final leg of the approach, and stated that there was no mechanical malfunction with 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
- Landing area overshoot during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Expectation/assumption › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 267 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 22 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 26, 2009
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 561 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,157 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Departed from: N82 Wurstboro NY at 5:15 pm
- Destination: N82 Wurstboro NY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KFWN, 12 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA11CA381.