Schweizer SGU 2-22E accident near Canon City, Colorado, July 17, 1998
On July 17, 1998 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Schweizer SGU 2-22E (glider), registered N9920J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Canon City, Colorado (Fremont County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudgment of distance/altitude and his premature deployment of the spoilers, resulting in a undershoot and hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 1998 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Canon City, Colorado · Fremont County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGU 2-22E · all SGU 2-22Es on the register
- Registration
- N9920J · no longer on the register · serial 248
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider was launched by a ground vehicle. After achieving an altitude of 850 feet agl, the pilot disconnected the tow rope and turned into the traffic pattern for landing. While on a left downwind leg at an altitude of 650 feet, he demonstrated a stall to his passenger, losing approximately 75 feet. A 500 foot per minute sink rate developed, and the pilot decided to cut short the downwind and base legs. The sink rate continued to increase and he lowered the nose to maintain a safe airspeed. When he deployed the spoilers, the glider landed short and the main landing gear struck the runway lip.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 453 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 343 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1V6 at 6:25 pm
- Destination: 1V6
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 5,399 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from PUB, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N9920J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW98LA323.