Schweizer SGS 1-26A accident near Lake Riverside, California, July 14, 2009
On July 14, 2009 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-26A (glider), registered N2701Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Lake Riverside, California (Lake Riverside Estates 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
A loss of lift which necessitated a forced landing in a field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 2009 · about 8:30 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Lake Riverside, California · Lake Riverside Estates Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-26A · all SGS 1-26As on the register
- Registration
- N2701Z · registry record · serial 222
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the glider experienced a loss of lift during a cross country flight and he executed an off-airport approach and landing to a field. During the landing flare, the glider’s left wing struck a fence post. Subsequently the glider landed sideways and came to rest upright. Examination of the glider revealed that the left wing spar and the fuselage were structurally damaged. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the glider’s flight control systems.
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
- Loss of lift during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › (general) › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,994 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,942 as pilot in command; 157 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 22, 2007
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,176 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 3, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 575 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Academic Soaring Club INC
The flight
- Departed from: CL35 Warner Springs CA at 7:15 pm
- Destination: 54CL Lake Riverside CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 109°F (43°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from KPSP, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on August 19, 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 |
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
- N2701Z on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schweizer SGS 1 gliders (1-26, 1-34, 1-35, 1-36) 581 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schweizer 1,186 aircraft on the register
- Lake Riverside Estates Airport · nearest airport
- Warner Springs · departed from
- 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/WPR09CA344.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.