Schweizer SGS 1-26E accident near Welch, Texas, July 7, 1984
On July 7, 1984 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-26E (glider), registered N2961H, was destroyed in an accident near Welch, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- July 7, 1984 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Welch, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-26E · all SGS 1-26Es on the register
- Registration
- N2961H · no longer on the register · serial 681
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS PARTICIPATING IN A NATIONAL X-COUNTRY CONTEST. AFTER APRX 6 HRS OF FLT, HE ELECTED TO LAND IN A CIRCULAR IRRIGATED COTTON FIELD. DURING A 2ND 360 DEG TURN OVER THE INTENDED LANDING AREA, AT APRX 100 FT AGL, THE GLIDER'S LEFT WING DROPPED ABOUT 60 DEG & IT ENTERED A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE & CRASHED. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS FOUND. THE DENSITY ALT WAS APRX 6000 FT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 221 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 138 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,215 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 575 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HBB Hobbs NM at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,500 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°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.