Schweizer SGS 1-26B accident near Hempstead, Texas, January 29, 1983
On January 29, 1983 at about 8:25 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-26B (glider), registered N2465W, was destroyed in an accident near Hempstead, Texas (Hempstead airport). It was an instructional 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 1983 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- Hempstead, Texas · Hempstead · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-26B · all SGS 1-26Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2465W · no longer on the register · serial 373
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE GLIDER WAS OBSERVED TO STALL/SPIN DURING TURN FROM BASE TO FINAL. THE PLT WAS ENDORSED FOR SOLO IN THE HEAVIER BLANIK L-13 & SCHWEIZER 2-33, BUT NOT IN THE 1-26B. HIS LOGBOOK REVEALED FOUR INSTRUCTOR ENTRIES CONCERNING AIRSPEED CONTROL. THE ACFT WAS BEING OPERATED BY A SOARING CLUB.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 36 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 10 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,350 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 1982; 164 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 8 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.