Schleicher ASW-27 accident near Preston, Idaho, July 21, 2011
On July 21, 2011, a Schleicher ASW-27 (glider), registered N78AB, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Preston, Idaho. 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
The glider's impact with crops during the off-airport landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2011 · cases in 2011
- Place
- Preston, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schleicher ASW-27 · all ASW-27s on the register
- Registration
- N78AB · registry record · serial 27207
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider pilot reported that he was unable to find thermals that would provide suitable lift for continued flight. Subsequently, a field was selected that the pilot assessed was adequate for a successful landing. After overflying the field at 1,000 feet above ground level the pilot began his approach. The approach and touchdown were uneventful. During the landing roll, as the pilot deployed the speedbrakes and applied braking, the glider pitched forward and the left and right wings contacted crops that were located on either side of the glider's landing roll. The left wing engaged the crops more fully than the right wing and the glider yawed to the left before coming to rest. As a result, the empennage was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe that would have precluded normal flight.
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
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,153 hours in all; 531 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 1,136 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 21, 2011
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 532 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 24, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,102 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: LGU Logan UT at 8:57 pm
- Destination: N/A Preston ID
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 186° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 pm from KLGU, 14 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 July 28, 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 | 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
- N78AB on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schleicher ASW-27 90 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schleicher 506 aircraft on the register
- Logan-Cache Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 287 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,198 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR11CA342.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.