Schweizer SGS-1-35C accident near North Conway, New Hampshire, October 25, 1985
On October 25, 1985 at about 5:57 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS-1-35C (glider), registered N2565H, was destroyed in an accident near North Conway, New Hampshire (North Conway airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 25, 1985 · about 5:57 pm local time
- Place
- North Conway, New Hampshire · North Conway
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS-1-35C · all SGS-1-35Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2565H · no longer on the register · serial 65
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING ATTEMPT IN A CLEARED CORN FIELD, THE GLIDER WAS APPROACHING A TREELINE AT AN ALTITUDE OF 10 TO 20 FT AGL. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE GLIDER PULL UP AND BANK TO THE LEFT BEFORE FALLING NOSE FIRST INTO THE GROUND. THE PILOT'S LOG BOOK REFLECTED ONE FLIGHT IN THE PRECEEDING 12 MONTH PERIOD.
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: 527 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 930 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: None NONE (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CWN North Conway NH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 2,940 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.