Schweizer SGS 1-34 accident near North Conway, New Hampshire, October 27, 1983
On October 27, 1983 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-34 (glider), registered N7629, was substantially damaged in an accident near North Conway, New Hampshire (White Mountain airport). It was a personal 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 27, 1983 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- North Conway, New Hampshire · White Mountain
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-34 · all SGS 1-34s on the register
- Registration
- N7629 · no longer on the register · serial 9
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE GLIDER WAS TOWED TO 2000 FEET AND RELEASED, IN LIFT. FLT WAS IN LIFT FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES WHEN A STRONG SINK WAS SUDDENLY ENCOUNTERED. THE GLIDER CRASHED INTO 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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 338 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 260 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 673 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CWN No. Conway NH at 4:20 pm
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 33, 3,000 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°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.