Schleicher ASW-20 accident near Unionville, Pennsylvania, August 6, 1982
On August 6, 1982 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Schleicher ASW-20 (glider), registered N20KG, was destroyed in an accident near Unionville, Pennsylvania (Ridge Soaring Gliderport airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1982 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Unionville, Pennsylvania · Ridge Soaring Gliderport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW-20 · all ASW-20s on the register
- Registration
- N20KG · registry record · serial 20468
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE BEING TOWED DURING TAKEOFF, THE PILOT MOVED THE FLAPS FROM THE NEUTRAL #3 TO THE POSITIVE #4 SETTING AND THE NOSE OF THE GLIDER PITCHED UP. THE PILOT REALIZED THERE WAS NO ELEVATOR CONTROL, THE FLAPS WERE MOVED TO THE #1 (NEGATIVE) SETTING AND THE TWO CABLE WAS RELEASED WHILE THE GLIDER WAS STILL BELOW 100 FT AGL. IT CONTINUED STRAIGHT AHEAD AND COLLIDED WITH TREES AND UNDERBRUSH. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ELEVATOR PUSH ROD WAS DISCONNECTED FROMTHE ELEVATOR. THE PILOT INDICATED THAT DURING THE PREFLIGHT CHECK, THE PUSH ROD PUSHED THE ELEVATOR UP AND DOWN WHEN THESTICK WAS MOVED FORWARD AND AFT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,932 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 271 in the last 90 days; 2,761 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 54 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 660 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 79N Unionville PA at 4:30 pm
- Destination: 79N Unionville PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.