Schweizer SGS1-26 accident near Kutztown, Pennsylvania, October 3, 1982
On October 3, 1982 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS1-26 (glider), registered N2515H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kutztown, Pennsylvania (Kutztown airport). It was an instructional 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 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
- October 3, 1982 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Kutztown, Pennsylvania · Kutztown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS1-26 · all SGS1-26s on the register
- Registration
- N2515H · registry record · serial 655
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE HE WAS LANDING THE GLIDER, HE OVERSHOT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE GLIDER COLLIDED WITH A SIGNBOARD AND POLE.
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: student
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 397 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 575 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Kutztown Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: N31 Kutztown PA at 4:20 pm
- Destination: N31 Kutztown PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 2,500 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 176°F (80°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.