Schweizer SGS 2-32 accident near Shirley, New York, April 27, 2013
On April 27, 2013 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 2-32 (glider), registered N9857E, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Shirley, New York (Brookhaven Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during final approach, which resulted in a stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s likely impairment due to an over-the-counter sedating antihistamine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 2013 · about 3:30 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Shirley, New York · Brookhaven Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 2-32 · all SGS 2-32s on the register
- Registration
- N9857E · registry record · serial 24
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Immediately following an uneventful checkout flight, the glider was towed and released for the pilot's solo flight. According to the pilot's flight instructor, the solo flight appeared normal during final approach to about 250 feet above ground level, then the glider's left wing dropped, consistent with a stall, and the glider subsequently descended to the ground. The tow pilot indicated that he observed that the glider's dive brakes were half-deployed, which was "normal." Although the pilot had a documented history of hypertension, the autopsy reported no evidence indicating that he had a heart attack during the accident flight. Toxicological testing revealed therapeutic levels of diphenhydramine, consistent with the pilot taking the medication about 2 to 3 hours before the accident. Diphenhydramine is a sedating antihistamine and could have impaired the pilot's cognitive and psychomotor performance.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › OTC medication › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,067 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,647 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 3, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 1,430 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Long Island Soaring Assoc INC
The flight
- Departed from: HWV Shirley NY at 3:15 pm
- Destination: HWV Shirley NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 4,222 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.39 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from HWV, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
14 documents, released by the NTSB on February 26, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Medical Records Factual Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Interview Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Witness Statements | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Excerpts from Pilot Logbook | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Glider Pilot Logbook | PDF, 21 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Excerpt from Sailplane Logbook | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Weather Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 11 | Photograph # 1: Left Side View of Main Wreckage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | Photograph # 2: Front View of Main Wreckage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 13 | Photograph # 3: Right Side View of Main Wreckage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 14 | Photograph # 4: Cockpit | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9857E on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schweizer SGS 2 gliders (2-33 and 2-32) 275 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schweizer 1,186 aircraft on the register
- Brookhaven Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in New York 1,964 since 1982 · 248 in the last ten years
- New York 6,661 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA13FA215.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.