Schweizer SGS 1-26C accident near Windsor, Virginia, July 22, 2007
On July 22, 2007 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-26C (glider), registered N2743Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Windsor, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to properly plan the approach to the airport, which resulted in an in-flight collision with a tree. A factor was the gusty wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2007 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Windsor, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-26C · all SGS 1-26Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2743Z · registry record · serial 246
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While returning from a local flight, the pilot realized that the glider did not have enough altitude to reach the airport. He identified a farm field to perform a forced landing to. While on approach to the field, and while gliding over trees, the glider was "hit by a gust of wind," and entered the tree tops while traveling about 50 mph. The left wing struck a large tree, turning the glider 180 degrees, before the nose pitched down and impacted the forest floor. The pilot reported no mechanical deficiencies of the glider, and reported that the winds were "very gusty" on the day of the accident.
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: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 488 hours in all; 305 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3VA8 Windsor VA
- Destination: 3VA8
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 13 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 6:02 pm from SFQ, 11 miles away
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.