Schweizer SGS 2-33A accident near Shirley, New York, August 4, 2022
On August 4, 2022 at about 7:57 pm local time, a 1977 Schweizer SGS 2-33A (glider), registered N2055T, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Shirley, New York (Brookhaven airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s failure to ensure clearance from an electrical junction box during takeoff, which resulted in a collision.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 2022 · about 7:57 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Shirley, New York · Brookhaven · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 2-33A, built 1977 · all SGS 2-33As on the register
- Registration
- N2055T · registry record · serial 495
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor of the glider reported that the takeoff for the instruction flight was along a grass area adjacent to a paved runway. The takeoff began with the right wing down to practice a standard unassisted takeoff. As the takeoff roll began, the right wing rose, and the glider entered ground effect. Several seconds later, the flight instructor heard a “boom” as the glider bounced up. He then released the tow rope and landed straight down the grass runway uneventfully. The flight instructor exited the glider and noted damage to the right wing as a result of a collision with an electrical junction box for the runway’s precision approach path indicator. He added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the glider. Postaccident examination of the glider by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector confirmed substantial damage to the glider’s right aileron.
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 during takeoff/land during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Heading/course › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 209 hours in all; 177 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 153 as pilot in command; 60 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 12, 2020
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 329 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 231 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 9, 1994
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,163.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 16, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 1,040 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Long Island Soaring Association INC
The flight
- Departed from: HWV Shirley NY at 7:57 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 4,222 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from KHWV
Weather report (METAR): KHWV 041956Z AUTO 17011KT 10SM CLR 31/20 A3004
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
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
3 documents, released by the NTSB on April 27, 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Weather Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative 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.
Other NTSB records under N2055T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2055T 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
- Other NTSB records under N2055T 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA22LA370.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.