Schleicher ASW-27 accident near Brigham City, Utah, July 19, 2011
On July 19, 2011 at about 11:21 pm local time, a Schleicher ASW-27 (glider), registered N797V, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Brigham City, Utah. 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 pilot did not take timely action to locate a safe outlanding area after entering an area where atmospheric lift was not sufficient to maintain soaring flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2011 · about 11:21 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Brigham City, Utah · 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
- N797V · registry record · serial 27145
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While participating in a soaring contest, the glider pilot entered an area where atmospheric lift was not sufficient. Instead of reversing his course toward better outlanding fields, he continued with the contest course and task. He ultimately ended up in a location where he was forced to attempt an off-airport landing on unsuitable terrain. Immediately upon touchdown, the glider encountered several small boulders that were hidden in the grass, and the left wing tip became snagged in some tall grass, resulting in a loss of directional control. During the resulting ground loop, both wings sustained substantial damage and the empennage tail boom separated from the main part of the fuselage.
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 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
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › (general) › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,018 hours in all; 892 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: KLGU Logan UT at 2:27 pm
- Destination: KLGU Logan UT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 January 17, 2012. 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
- N797V 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 Utah 1,440 since 1982 · 263 in the last ten years
- Utah 8,354 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR11CA486.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.