Schweizer SGS1-26D accident near Lucerne Valley, California, May 28, 1984
On May 28, 1984 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS1-26D (glider), registered N7710S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lucerne Valley, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- May 28, 1984 · about 8:30 pm local time · cases in 1984
- Place
- Lucerne Valley, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS1-26D · all SGS1-26Ds on the register
- Registration
- N7710S · registry record · serial 411
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT HIS GLIDER WAS THE 3RD TO LAUNCH (USING AN AUTO TOW) ON A DISTANCE COMPLETION FLT. HE RELEASED THE TOW CABLE AT ABOUT 900 FT & BEGAN SEARCHING FOR LIFT. NO LIFT WAS FOUND. AFTER A SHORT TIME, HE ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE POINT. WHILE MANEUVERING AT LOW ALT ON BASE LEG, A THERMAL WAS ENCOUNTERED AND THE PLT'S VISIBILITY WAS MOMENTARILY RESTRICTED BY A DUST PLUME. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, THE GLIDER STALLED, ITS RIGHT WING TIP CONTACTED TERRAIN & IT CARTWHEELED. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE DIRECTION OF LAUNCH WAS CHANGED DUE TO A WIND SHIFT. THE PLT STATED, THE APCH 'WAS BAD PLANNING ON MY PART.'
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,822 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 588 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 915 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 12, 1983; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lucerne Valley CA at 8:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:30 pm
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
- N7710S 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 California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,112 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX84LA327.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.