Schweizer SGS 2-33 accident near Twentynine Palm, California, October 6, 1984
On October 6, 1984 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 2-33 (glider), registered N2616H, was destroyed in an accident near Twentynine Palm, California (Twentynine Palms airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 1984 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Twentynine Palm, California · Twentynine Palms · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 2-33 · all SGS 2-33s on the register
- Registration
- N2616H · registry record · serial 426
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE BEING TOWED AT AN ALT OF APRX 200 FT AGL GLIDER WAS BELOW NORMAL TOW POSITION. GLIDER WAS PUT INTO A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE FOR CORRECTION AND THE WEAK LINK IN THE TOW LINE SEPARATED. GLIDER STALLED, RT WING DROPPED AND ACFT CONTACTED THE TERRAIN.
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: single-engine land; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 1, 1984; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,040 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 5,520 ft by 47 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 pm from TRM, 32 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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.