Schweizer 2-33-A accident near Los Alamitos, California, October 20, 1996
On October 20, 1996 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Schweizer 2-33-A (glider), registered N65844, was substantially damaged in an accident near Los Alamitos, California (Los Alamitos Reserve Cent airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's failure to properly handle the glider, and the instructor pilot's inadequate supervision.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 1996 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Los Alamitos, California · Los Alamitos Reserve Cent · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 2-33-A
- Registration
- N65844 · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the final approach, the student pilot was having difficulty controlling the glider and was not aligned with the runway. The glider got low and slow before the instructor pilot took over the controls. The pilot landed short of the runway and the aircraft collided with an object protruding from the ground that damaged the spar.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 411 hours in all; 180 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 319 as pilot in command; 200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,040 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLI at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22R, 1,300 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N65844 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.