Schleicher ASW-20 accident near Uvalde, Texas, August 4, 1986
On August 4, 1986 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Schleicher ASW-20 (glider), registered N20TS, was destroyed in an accident near Uvalde, Texas (Uvalde, Tx airport). 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
- August 4, 1986 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Uvalde, Texas · Uvalde, Tx · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW-20 · all ASW-20s on the register
- Registration
- N20TS · registry record · serial 20483
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT WAS COMPETING IN THE NATL SOARING CHAMPIONSHIPS AND HAD JUST CROSSED THE FINISH LINE AT 50' AGL AND 85 KNS A/S WHEN IT ENTERED A MANEUVER TO REVERSE DIRECTION AND CLIMB TO PATTERN ALT FOR LANDING. DURING THE TURN THE ACFT STALLED AND STRUCK A POWER LINE DURING THE SUBSEQUENT DESCENT. AFTER IMPACT, THE ACFT SLID INTO A VEHICLE. THE PLT MAY HAVE BEEN DISTRACTED BY OTHER ACFT OPERATING IN THE PATTERN.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 484 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 15, 1986
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: None NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 2,000 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.