Schleicher ASW-27B accident near Warren, Vermont, June 17, 2008
On June 17, 2008 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Schleicher ASW-27B (glider), registered N227K, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Warren, Vermont (Warren-Sugarbush Airport). 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 delayed decision to divert to a suitable landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 2008 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Warren, Vermont · Warren-Sugarbush Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW-27B · all ASW-27Bs on the register
- Registration
- N227K · no longer on the register · serial 27199
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot stated that he was flying his Schleicher ASW-27B glider in a soaring competition, which consisted of flying to a given point and returning, while being timed. The pilot turned around at the specified location, and flew along a ridge on the return to the airport of origin. An on-board computer indicated that the glider would arrive at the airport at an altitude of 100 feet above ground level (AGL). The pilot continued to "work the ridge" in order to gain altitude, since his standard personal minimum was to arrive at an airport no lower than 600 feet AGL, and 1,000 feet AGL was his "ideal" arrival altitude. When still short of the airport, the pilot realized that the ridge was no longer producing lift, and that he would not make either the last suitable landing site behind him, or the destination airport. The pilot slowed the glider down so that he could "fly into the trees." The left wing impacted trees first. The glider fell through the trees, impacted the ground right wing first, and came to rest inverted. The glider was substantially damaged. The pilot noted that there were no mechanical anomalies with the glider.
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
What happened, in order
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › (general) › Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,443 hours in all; 254 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 2,203 as pilot in command; 700 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0B7 Warren VT at 4:01 pm
- Destination: 0B7
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.69 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from MPV, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.