Schweizer SGS2-33AK accident near Mecklenburg, New York, October 17, 1982
On October 17, 1982 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS2-33AK (glider), registered N17965, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mecklenburg, New York (Grund Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 1982 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 1982
- Place
- Mecklenburg, New York · Grund Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS2-33AK · all SGS2-33AKs on the register
- Registration
- N17965 · no longer on the register · serial 265
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING APPROACH THE PILOT MISJUDGED THE WIND VELOCITY AND FAILED TO ALLOW FOR STRONG DOWNDRAFTS. THE GLIDER LOST ALTITUDE 4-500 FEET SHORT OF THE FIELD OVER A WOODEN AREA AND CAME TO REST IN A NOSED OVER POSITION IN THE TREES.
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
- Flight time: 268 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 140 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 575 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,340 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Mecklenburg NY at 1:10 pm
- Destination: Mecklenburg NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 285° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 140°F (60°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N17965 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N17965: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Schweizer SGS 2 gliders (2-33 and 2-32) 275 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schweizer 1,187 aircraft on the register
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in New York 1,964 since 1982 · 249 in the last ten years
- New York 6,658 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N17965 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/NYC83LA011.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.