Schweizer SGS 1-26F accident near Caddo Mills, Texas, August 14, 1983
On August 14, 1983 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-26F (glider), registered N2693H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Caddo Mills, Texas (Caddo Mills airport). It was an instructional 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 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
- August 14, 1983 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Caddo Mills, Texas · Caddo Mills
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-26F · all SGS 1-26Fs on the register
- Registration
- N2693H · registry record · serial 673
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT SAW A SMALL THUNDERSTORM MOVING TOWARD THE ARPT, SO HE RETURNED TO LAND BEFORE IT ARRIVED. HE STATED HE WAS 2 TO 3 MIN TOO LATE. WHILE IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, HE ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE, DOWNDRAFTS & WINDS REPORTEDLY GUSTING TO 30 KTS. AS THE PLT TURNED ONTO FINAL APCH, THE GLIDER SUDDENLY DROPPED, TOUCHED DOWN HARD SHORT OF THE RWY & WAS DAMAGED.
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: 26 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 16 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 397 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 575 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 4,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 15 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°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.