Schweizer SGS 1-34 accident near Lake Elsinore, California, September 12, 2009
On September 12, 2009 at about 9:53 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-34 (glider), registered N7656, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Lake Elsinore, California (Skylark Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the glider after the tow line released during the initial climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2009 · about 9:53 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Lake Elsinore, California · Skylark Field Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-34 · all SGS 1-34s on the register
- Registration
- N7656 · no longer on the register · serial 17274326
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff, the tow airplane pilot felt slack in the tow line and in response he attempted to slow the airplane. He then felt the airplane surge forward and looked back to observe the glider in a sharp turn. The pilot noted his altitude was between 225 to 250 feet above the ground. Witnesses reported that it appeared that the glider released from the tow airplane, and then veered sharply to the right before it entered into a nose dive and impacted the ground. A Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector established flight control continuity of the glider at the accident site. He also noted that the tow line had broken at the weak link. The weak link is a safety line that is designed to release under sudden or extreme loads to protect/ensure that the airframe of the glider is not damaged. The weak link can break at low altitude, causing an inadvertent release.
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
- Glider tow event during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Aerial tow equipment section › Capability exceeded other cases naming the airframe structure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 830 hours in all; 167 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: CA89 Lake Elsinore CA at 9:53 pm
- Destination: CA89 Lake Elsinore CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29L, 2,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from RIV, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 25, 2011. 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 | Witness Statement | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Excerpt Glider Logbooks | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Toxicological Report | 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
- N7656: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- 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
- Skylark Airport · 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/WPR09LA449.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.