Schweizer SGS-1-26B accident near Eustis, Florida, July 12, 1997
On July 12, 1997 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS-1-26B (glider), registered N9927J, was destroyed in an accident near Eustis, 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
an in-flight separation of the right wing, and subsequent impact with trees. Factors in this accident were thermal lift and turbulence in clouds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 1997 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Eustis, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS-1-26B · all SGS-1-26Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9927J · no longer on the register · serial 346
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was tracking northward, when the pilot said he experienced 'minimal lift' at an altitude of about 4,000 feet mean sea level (msl). A ground witness said there was a cumulus cloud in the vicinity just before the accident. The pilot said that when he got near the cloud the lift increased, at first to about 300 feet per minute (fpm), then to about 600 fpm. As the glider passed 4,000 feet msl, there was a rapid rate of increase to over 1,000 fpm. The pilot estimated that the glider climbed from 4,000 feet msl to about 6,200 feet msl in about 20 seconds. At peak altitude the right wing separated from the glider, at the root. The pilot said he believed the wing separated upward, and made contact with the top of the canopy. He attempted numerous combinations of control imputes. The glider yawed, rolled and pitched with little response to the controls, and finally became upright in a high yaw rate condition. The glider impacted in a thick stand of 80-to 100-foot tall pine trees. The reported cloud bases at the time of the accident were reported to be 4,300 feet msl. The floor of the Class B airspace was 3,000 feet msl at the location of the accident, and the aircraft was operating at the time of the accident without gyro instruments. A section of the right wing front spar was sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory, Washington, DC, for examination. The examination revealed that the fracture features and deformations were all consistent with 'overstress separations.' No evidence of fatigue or any type of cracking was found.
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; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 27,000 hours in all; 6 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 20,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X55 at 5:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.