Schweizer SGS 2-32 accident near Mokuleia, Hawaii, November 7, 1992
On November 7, 1992 at about 1:20 am local time, a Schweizer SGS 2-32 (glider), registered N5761S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mokuleia, Hawaii (Dillingham Airfield). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FLIGHT'S ENCOUNTER WITH UNFORECASTED UNFAVORABLE WINDS (LOSS OF THERMAL LIFT) AND DOWNDRAFTS WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 1992 · about 1:20 am local time · cases in 1992
- Place
- Mokuleia, Hawaii · Dillingham Airfield · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 2-32 · all SGS 2-32s on the register
- Registration
- N5761S · registry record · serial 59
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM AN AERO TOW, THE GLIDER ENCOUNTERED STRONG SINK CONDITIONS. THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT AND EXECUTED A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. THE STRONG SINK CONDITIONS CONTINUED THROUGHOUT THE APPROACH. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO FLARE THE GLIDER AND IT SUSTAINED A HARD LANDING.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,750 hours in all; 280 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 5,440 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,285 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 26, 1992; 87 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,430 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Honolulu Soaring Club, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 9,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5761S on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schweizer SGS 2 gliders (2-33 and 2-32) 275 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schweizer 1,186 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Kawaihapai Airfield · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Hawaii 524 since 1982 · 86 in the last ten years
- Hawaii 650 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX93LA031.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.