Schweizer SGS 1-36 accident near Boulder, Colorado, November 2, 1996
On November 2, 1996 at about 8:44 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-36 (glider), registered N3616Z, was destroyed in an accident near Boulder, Colorado. It was a personal 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 pilot exceeding the design stress limits of the aircraft by performing an aerobatic maneuver, resulting in total failure of the wing spar.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 2, 1996 · about 8:44 pm local time
- Place
- Boulder, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-36 · all SGS 1-36s on the register
- Registration
- N3616Z · no longer on the register · serial 9
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness observe the glider to come from behind the mountains in a wings level attitude, traveling in a northeast direction. She said the glider made a complete 360-degree roll to the right about its longitudibal axis. The glider rolled out on a more easterly heading, then began losing altitude in an increasingly nose down attitude and entered either a spin or spiral. She then observed the wings to fail and fold aft along the fuselage. According to NTSB's metallurgist's report, 'all fractures in both wing sections were typical of overstress separations. No evidence of fatigue or other types of preexisting cracking was found.'
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,721 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 1,527 as pilot in command; 353 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,742 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1995; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 710 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1V5 CO at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 70 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from BJC, 13 miles away
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.