Schweizer SGS126 accident near Bangor, Pennsylvania, March 11, 2017
On March 11, 2017 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1973 Schweizer SGS126 (glider), registered N17933, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Bangor, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The glider’s encounter with atmospheric conditions where the lift was not sufficient to maintain flight, which resulted in an off-airport landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 2017 · about 6:00 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Bangor, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS126 E, built 1973
- Registration
- N17933 · registry record · serial 563
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider pilot reported that, while returning to his home airport, he was unable to find enough lift and did not have enough altitude to cross a section of land called "The Gap." After he altered course to land at an alternate airport, he attempted to ridge soar but again did not encounter enough lift. He "hugged the ridge top" for as long as he could and then proceeded down a valley in anticipation of landing in a field. Subsequently, the glider collided with trees preceding the field and came to rest suspended in the trees. The glider sustained substantial damage to both wings and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of lift during enroute defining event
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Evacuation during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Thermal lifting › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Attain/maintain not possible
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 90 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 60 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 28, 2016
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: 1N7 Blairstown NJ at 3:50 pm
- Destination: 1N7 Blairstown NJ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 12 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,100 ft
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KMPO, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on May 4, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N17933 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schweizer 1,186 aircraft on the register
- Blairstown Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania 1,836 since 1982 · 234 in the last ten years
- Pennsylvania 6,195 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA17CA196.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.