Schweizer SGS 135 accident near Pepperell, Massachusetts, June 8, 1997
On June 8, 1997 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 135 (glider), registered N17976, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pepperell, Massachusetts (Pepperell airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a turn, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent uncontrolled descent into water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 1997 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- Pepperell, Massachusetts · Pepperell
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 135
- Registration
- N17976 · no longer on the register · serial 4
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After 30 minutes of flying on a local flight, the pilot/owner of the glider entered a left traffic pattern for landing on runway 24 at the departure airport. The pilot determined that she was too high on final approach, and initiated a 360-degree turn to lose altitude. The pilot stated that during the turn to final, the left wing of the glider stalled. This induced a spin to the left at 300 feet, and the glider descended into a river. Winds at an airport 6 miles northeast were reported from 150 degrees at 10 knots.
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: 109 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 70 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 942 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 23, 1997; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 930 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MA09 MA at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,820 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from ASH, 6 miles away
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.