Schweizer SGS 2-33A accident near Zebulon, North Carolina, April 16, 2022
On April 16, 2022 at about 7:34 pm local time, a 1969 Schweizer SGS 2-33A (glider), registered N7784S, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Zebulon, North Carolina (Crooked Creek Airfield). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s failure to maintain directional control with a quartering tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 2022 · about 7:34 pm local time
- Place
- Zebulon, North Carolina · Crooked Creek Airfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 2-33A, built 1969 · all SGS 2-33As on the register
- Registration
- N7784S · registry record · serial 154
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot were practicing a tow rope failure and were landing the glider with a light, quartering tailwind. On final approach the glider drifted right of the runway centerline and just before touchdown, the right wing struck a tree, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and canopy. The flight instructor reported that the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Lateral/bank control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Response/compensation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,496 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 2,426 as pilot in command; 1,244 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 30, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 4 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,091.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 21, 2021
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: North Carolina Soaring Association
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,500 ft by 80 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 pm from LHZ, 7 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KLHZ 161935Z AUTO 21010KT 10SM SCT040 SCT049 SCT055 22/13 A2999 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 31, 2022. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.