Schweizer SGS1-26A accident near Fairfield, Pennsylvania, October 13, 1997
On October 13, 1997 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS1-26A (glider), registered N1154N, suffered minor damage in an accident near Fairfield, Pennsylvania (Mid-Atlan. Soaring Center 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 improper installation of the elevator cables and elevator control bell-crank by the pilot, and an inadequate annual inspection by the mechanic. Also causal was the pilot's inadequate preflight of the flight controls prior to takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 13, 1997 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fairfield, Pennsylvania · Mid-Atlan. Soaring Center · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS1-26A · all SGS1-26As on the register
- Registration
- N1154N · no longer on the register · serial 056
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Before takeoff, the pilot installed the wings and tail on the glider. During the takeoff, just after the glider became airborne, it pitched up vertically. After the tow rope was released the nose dropped, and the glider impacted the ground. Examination of the glider revealed that the control cables were rigged in reverse and the elevator control bell-crank located in the aft end of the fuselage was installed inverted from its normal position. About 8 days prior to the accident an airframe and powerplant mechanic with inspector authorization performed an annual inspection which included a statement, 'AC assembled and rigged.' At that time, the complete elevator assembly was not installed. The pilot completed the elevator installation after the annual inspection. Prior to the flight, the pilot was asked by a witness if he had performed a 'positive control check' of the primary flight controls, which the pilot stated 'yes.'
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: 686 hours in all; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 634 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,725 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 5, 1997; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 575 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 2,700 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from HGR, 24 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.