Schweizer SGS 1-26D accident near Windsor, Virginia, July 4, 2022
On July 4, 2022 at about 7:50 pm local time, a 1968 Schweizer SGS 1-26D (glider), registered N249AF, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Windsor, Virginia (Garner Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The glider’s encounter with atmospheric conditions, where lift was not sufficient to maintain flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2022 · about 7:50 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Windsor, Virginia · Garner Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-26D, built 1968 · all SGS 1-26Ds on the register
- Registration
- N249AF · registry record · serial 421
- 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 after departing for local area soaring, he found himself in “dying lift”. He attempted to recover altitude but was unsuccessful. He said that the glider encountered additional “sink” and did not have sufficient altitude to reach the airport. During the forced landing on rough terrain the left wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider 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
- Loss of lift during enroute defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute (descent)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Attain/maintain not possible
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Thermal lifting › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 368 hours in all; 116 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 276 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 4, 2021
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,553.0 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 6, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: 3VA8 Garner Airport VA at 5:08 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02/2, 2,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from KAKQ, 22 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KAKQ 041954Z AUTO VRB03KT 10SM SCT070 SCT085 27/12 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP126 T02670122
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Substantial damage to the left wings leading edge (FAA)
Photo 2 – Substantial damage to the nose cone (FAA)The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 24, 2023. 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, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photographs | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | 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
- N249AF on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schweizer SGS 1 gliders (1-26, 1-34, 1-35, 1-36) 581 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schweizer 1,187 aircraft on the register
- Garner Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Virginia 1,361 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Virginia 5,973 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA22LA365.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.