Schweizer SGS 2-32 accident near Warner Springs, California, May 30, 2009
On May 30, 2009 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 2-32 (glider), registered N5826V, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Warner Springs, California (Warner Springs airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a tree while maneuvering in flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 2009 · about 11:30 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Warner Springs, California · Warner Springs · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 2-32 · all SGS 2-32s on the register
- Registration
- N5826V · registry record · serial 3
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After being towed to altitude, the pilot of the glider began soaring above a mountain peak. After making several circular passes over the peak the glider began to descend, and the pilot initiated a turn to an adjacent ridge. As he passed over the ridge, he felt the glider sink and he initiated a descending right turn. During the turn, the pilot felt the glider "jolt" and yaw to the left. He verified that the flight controls functioned correctly, and initiated an uneventful straight-in approach and landing at the departure airport. Postaccident inspection revealed damage consistent with an in-flight collision with a tree. The glider sustained substantial damage to the left wing spar and aileron during the collision.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 552 hours in all; 184 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 469 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 22, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,344 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 3, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 1,430 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Sky Sailing INC
The flight
- Departed from: CL35 Warner Springs CA at 11:15 pm
- Destination: CL35 Warner Springs CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 4,700 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft; clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 11:13 pm from RNM, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on June 17, 2009. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation: Bret Willat | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 1: Wing Damage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 2: Wing Damage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5826V on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schweizer SGS 2 gliders (2-33 and 2-32) 275 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schweizer 1,186 aircraft on the register
- Warner Springs · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,094 in the last ten years
- California 28,286 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR09CA272.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.