Schweizer SGS 1-35 accident near Cumberland, Maryland, September 8, 2001
On September 8, 2001 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-35, registered N2540H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cumberland, Maryland (Greater Cumberland Regional 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 misjudged distance and altitude. A factor was the pilot's lack of familiarity with the glider.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2001 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Cumberland, Maryland · Greater Cumberland Regional
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-35 · all SGS 1-35s on the register
- Registration
- N2540H · no longer on the register · serial 52
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to the accident flight, the pilot had not flown the same make and model as the accident glider. After soaring for several minutes, the pilot entered a downwind leg for runway 29 at 500 feet agl. On base leg, he extended the flaps to 30 degrees. The glider initially "ballooned," and the pilot maintained a 55-knot approach speed. The pilot then realized he was "too fast" and "too high." He then extended the flaps to 80 degrees, and performed a forward slip. The pilot's attention was diverted to another glider landing ahead of him, and the accident glider's spoiler/flap combination was not as effective as other models he had flown. The pilot touched down to the right of the glider ahead of him, on the grass adjacent to the runway, and more than 1,800 feet beyond the approach end of the 2,442-foot long, asphalt, runway. The glider then bounced several times, and traveled off the end of the runway into a fence. The reported wind at the airport, about 25 minutes prior to the accident, was from 140 degrees at 4 knots.
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: 292 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 19, 2000
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,455.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 6, 2000; 21.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 930 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CBE Cumberland MD at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 2,442 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from CBE
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.