Schewizer 233 accident near Immokalee, Florida, January 15, 2006
On January 15, 2006 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Schewizer 233 (glider), registered N5728S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Immokalee, Florida. 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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance during the final approach to land, which resulted in an impact with trees, and a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 2006 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Immokalee, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schewizer 233
- Registration
- N5728S · no longer on the register · serial 72
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that the first part of the flight was uneventful. He returned to Immokalee Airport, and noted that given the direction of the winds, it would be safer for him to make an off airport landing in a nearby field. The pilot said that during the landing, the airplane clipped the top of pine trees, collided with wires, and then he landed the glider hard in the field. In addition, the pilot said that upon landing the field was rough and uneven, and as a result glider incurred substantial damage to its skid and tail-wheel area.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,270 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,071 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,330 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 1,040 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IMM Immokalee FL at 6:45 pm
- Destination: IMM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from APF
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 N5728S 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.