Schweizer SGS-1-30 accident near Wurtsboro, New York, April 6, 1991
On April 6, 1991 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS-1-30 (glider), registered N3620D, was destroyed in an accident near Wurtsboro, New York. 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
AN INFLIGHT FAILURE OF THE LEFT WING SPAR DUE TO OVERLOAD FROM PILOT INDUCED CONTROL INPUTS, WHILE RECOVERING FROM A DIVE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE, THE PILOT'S DECISION TO FLY WITH THE TRIM SYSTEM DISCONNECTED AND LACK OF RECENT EXPERIENCE IN MAKE AND MODEL OF GLIDER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 1991 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Wurtsboro, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS-1-30 · all SGS-1-30s on the register
- Registration
- N3620D · no longer on the register · serial 20
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE GLIDER WAS OBSERVED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN PITCH ATTITUDE. JUST ABOVE THE TERRAIN, THE NOSE PITCHED UP AND THE LEFT WING FAILED AT THE WING ROOT. THE GLIDER STRUCK TREES, DESCENDING TO THE GROUND. POST CRASH EXAMINATION SHOWED THE WING HAD FAILED IN OVERLOAD. ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER, THE WING HAD AN ULTIMATE FAILURE LOAD OF 9.72G. EXAMINATION OF THE GLIDER SHOWED TAPE ON THE TRIM DISCONNECT SYSTEM AND CONTROL STICK. THIS IS A TECHNIQUE USED BY COMPETITION PILOTS TO REDUCE THE CONTROL FORCES. THERE IS A FLIGHT MANUAL LIMITATION AGAINST OPERATING WITH SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 108 MPH WITH THE TRIM DISCONNECTED. FLIGHT TESTING BY THE MANUFACTURER SHOWED THE GLIDER HAD 'NEAR TO NEUTRAL STABILITY' WITH THE TRIM DISCONNECTED.
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: 52 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 21 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,240 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 20, 1991; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 710 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wurtsboro Flight Service, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- 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.