Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS-S accident near Wadsworth, Ohio, September 25, 1996
On September 25, 1996 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS-S (glider), registered N9775, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wadsworth, Ohio (Wadsworth Municipal 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 pilot's inadvertent activation of the speed brakes while being towed for takeoff. Subsequently, the glider pilot lost sight of the tow airplane due to excessive altitude, released the tow rope, and performed an off airport landing during which the glider collided with a tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1996 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wadsworth, Ohio · Wadsworth Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schempp-Hirth CIRRUS-S
- Registration
- N9775 · registry record · serial 106
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
This was second flight of the day for the pilot/owner of the glider. The first flight lasted about 5 minutes, because the pilot stated that he could not gain any altitude, and he landed back at the airport. During the second takeoff, the pilot noticed the speed brakes were deployed. When he retracted the speed brakes, the glider 'popped up' higher than the tow plane, and the pilot released the tow rope. The pilot believed that he was too low to make it back to the airport, and went under telephone wires onto a road. The glider then ground-looped, and the left wing trailing edge struck a tree and the glider's tail broke midway down the tail cone. The pilot stated that there was the possibility that he may have bumped the speed brake handle.
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: 520 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 424 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,247 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 20, 1996; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 728 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3G3 at 7:58 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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.