Schweizer ASW-20 accident near Middletown, New York, June 7, 1987
On June 7, 1987 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Schweizer ASW-20 (glider), registered N98TX, was destroyed in an accident near Middletown, New York. 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
- June 7, 1987 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Middletown, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer ASW-20
- Registration
- N98TX · no longer on the register · serial 20062
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE GLIDER PILOT FAILED TO HOOK UP THE ELEVATOR CONTROL CABLE BEFORE LAUNCH AND DURING TAKEOFF THERE WAS NO PITCH CONTROL. THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED UP UNCONTROLLABLY OVERSTRESSING THE ROPE. THE ROPE BROKE AND THE GLIDER IMPACTED HARD ON A ROAD BOUNCING 150 FEET INTO A PLOWED FIELD.
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: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,196 hours in all; 24 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 289 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 18, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 660 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: 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.