Schweizer SGS-1-26E accident near Elmira, New York, September 1, 1996
On September 1, 1996 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS-1-26E (glider), registered N1142S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elmira, New York (Harris Hill airport). It was an instructional 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 pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude and airspeed during the landing approach, resulting in a stall/spin and subsequent encounter with an embankment.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 1, 1996 · about 2:00 pm local time · cases in 1996
- Place
- Elmira, New York · Harris Hill · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS-1-26E · all SGS-1-26Es on the register
- Registration
- N1142S · registry record · serial 522
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that she had made two successful landings in the glider, and was on the third solo flight. According to the pilot, she was planning to land on runway 16, but decided at the last minute to change runways. She stated that the altitude and airspeed was inadequate to complete the landing on the new runway. She reported that she skidded the glider with the rudder to avoid banking too steeply and the combination initiated a stall and spin to the left. According to an FAA inspector, this was the pilot's third flight in this glider. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction, and the accident could have been prevented if she maintained a proper pattern airspeed, not change runways at the last minute, and not use a forward slip too low on final approach with the spoilers closed.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 137 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 351 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 17, 1995; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Harris Hill Soaring CORP.,
The flight
- Departed from: 4NY8 NY at 5:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 1,700 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1142S on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schweizer SGS 1 gliders (1-26, 1-34, 1-35, 1-36) 581 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schweizer 1,187 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Harris Hill · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in New York 1,964 since 1982 · 249 in the last ten years
- New York 6,659 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/IAD96LA142.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.