Schweizer SGS 1-34 accident near Pensacola, Florida, August 1, 1998
On August 1, 1998 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-34 (glider), registered N7631, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pensacola, Florida (Coastal Airport). 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 a proper sink rate during an emergency landing resulting in impact with trees and subsequent stall and impact with the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 1998 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Pensacola, Florida · Coastal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-34 · all SGS 1-34s on the register
- Registration
- N7631 · no longer on the register · serial 11
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that the glider was about 100 feet above ground level, and attached to the tow airplane when the canopy suddenly opened. He climbed to 200 feet, released the towrope, and made a 180-degree left turn to return to the airport. As he cleared a wooded area before the runway, he noticed that his sink rate was too high. He pulled up, but his right wingtip brushed the top of a tree. The airplane stalled and crashed about 300 feet short of the runway. According to the pilot, the canopy's latching mechanism did not reveal any malfunctions during preflight or postcrash examination.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 106 hours in all; 9 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 36 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,241 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1998; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 83J FL at 6:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,500 ft by 250 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°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.