Schweizer SGS-1-26E accident near Elmira, New York, August 21, 1988
On August 21, 1988 at about 2:35 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS-1-26E (glider), registered N3613B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elmira, New York. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- August 21, 1988 · about 2:35 pm local time
- Place
- Elmira, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS-1-26E · all SGS-1-26Es on the register
- Registration
- N3613B · registry record · serial 699
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED TO THE LOCAL POLICE THAT HE WAS HAVING TROUBLE GETTING LIFT AND WAS ATTEMPTING AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING WHEN THE ACFT STALLED AT LOW ALT AND CRASHED. THE PILOT DID NOT FILE AN ACCIDENT REPORT.
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
- Flight time: 12 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 695 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 16, 1988; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 575 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown UNK (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Schweizer Aero Club
The flight
- Departed from: ELM Elmira NY
- Destination: ELM
- 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.