Schweizer SGS-233A accident near Odessa, Texas, May 3, 1996
On May 3, 1996 at about 2:25 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS-233A (glider), registered N7773S, was involved in an accident near Odessa, Texas (Eagles Nest Gliderport airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to obtain the required airspeed resulting in a hard landing. A factor was the lack of thermal lift.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 1996 · about 2:25 pm local time
- Place
- Odessa, Texas · Eagles Nest Gliderport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS-233A
- Registration
- N7773S · registry record · serial 143
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The FAA inspector (pilot-in-command) was receiving a flight check to remove the commercial pilot 'aero tow only' limitation by completing several ground tow launches. Following five successful ground tow launches, the FAA inspector administering the flight check conducted a discussion to review emergency procedures with the applicant. During the sixth ground tow launch, when the airspeed had accelerated to 45 knots, the pitch attitude had attained 45 degrees, at an altitude of about 160 feet above the ground, the FAA inspector administering the flight check, released the tow line to abort the launch. The FAA inspector (PIC) receiving the flight check pushed the glider nose forward; however, the airspeed did not increase to the 50 knots needed for a landing flare. The glider landed hard, bounced, and subsequently touched down on the runway. Both pilots reported that the glider encountered 'a pocket of sinking air.'
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,656 hours in all; 31 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,040 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TE33 at 2:24 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 2,652 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.