Schweizer SGS 1-26B accident near Hobbs, New Mexico, August 15, 2002
On August 15, 2002 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-26B (glider), registered N696U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hobbs, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather conditions which resulted in the loss of thermal lift. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 2002 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Hobbs, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-26B · all SGS 1-26Bs on the register
- Registration
- N696U · registry record · serial 311
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that approximately 5 to 10 miles east of the airport, the glider was "thermaling" at 8,000 feet msl. The glider encountered a downdraft with a rainshower, and subsequently, quickly lost altitude. Unable to locate a thermal to gain altitude, the pilot initiated a forced landing to a field. While attempting to land in the field, the glider struck a wire fence. The glider came to rest upright and tangled in the fence wire.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 116 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 56 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 22, 2001
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,701 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 31, 2002; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HOB Hobbs NM at 7:30 pm
- Destination: HOB
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 108°F (42°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 FTW02LA237.