Schweizer SGS1-260 accident near Phoenix, Arizona, March 1, 1982
On March 1, 1982, a Schweizer SGS1-260 (glider), registered N7740S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona (Pleasant Valley airport). 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 1, 1982 · cases in 1982
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Pleasant Valley · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS1-260 · all SGS1-260s on the register
- Registration
- N7740S · registry record · serial 440
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL THE GLIDER'S RIGHT WING COLLIDED WITH THE LEFT TIRE OF A PARKED AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED BY PULLING THE GLIDER OUT FARTHER.
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: student
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 21 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,773 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AZO5 Phoenix AZ
- Destination: AZO5 Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 183°F (84°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N7740S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7740S 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
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 468 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,434 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N7740S 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX82DA090.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.