Schweizer SGS 1-26B accident near Murrieta, California, December 28, 2011
On December 28, 2011 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-26B (glider), registered N8641R, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Murrieta, California. It was an instructional 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 encounter with insufficient atmospheric lift to maintain soaring flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 28, 2011 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Murrieta, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS 1-26B · all SGS 1-26Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8641R · registry record · serial 184
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a solo instructional glider flight, the student pilot released from the tow airplane at a planned altitude of 4,250 feet mean sea level. Upon the release, the student pilot was not able to locate any up-currents, and the sink rates the glider encountered varied between 200 to 600 feet per minute. The pilot stated that there was insufficient lift to clear the ridge safely and glide back to the airport, so he selected two open fields for a possible off-field landing. The pilot stated that, on final approach to the field, he observed signs between the glider’s current position and the intended landing site that he had not seen during his fly-by inspection. He maneuvered around the obstructions and decided to land on a road. The glider landed on the road, and the right wing collided with a previously unseen mailbox post, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing.
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 › (general) › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 165 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 102 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 4, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: CA89 Lake Elsinore CA at 8:15 pm
- Destination: CA89 Lake Elsinore CA
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from KRIV, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.