Schweizer SGS 1-36 accident near Bishop, California, June 27, 2012
On June 27, 2012 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Schweizer SGS 1-36 (glider), registered N3617U, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Bishop, California (Bishop 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
The glider’s encounter with insufficient atmospheric lift to maintain soaring flight, which resulted in an off-airport landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 2012 · about 10:50 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Bishop, California · Bishop · 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 1-36 · all SGS 1-36s on the register
- Registration
- N3617U · no longer on the register · serial 18
- 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, after 1.5 hours of soaring, he was en route to the airport when he encountered significant sink (loss of lift) and was forced to land in a pasture about 2 miles from the approach end of the runway. The glider sustained damage to its right wing tip and empennage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
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
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Thermal lifting › Ability to respond/compensate
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 136 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 28, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,284 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 710 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: KBIH Bishop CA at 9:26 pm
- Destination: KBIH Bishop CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 14 knots, gusting 31
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from KBIH, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on July 23, 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 |
| 2 | Photo 1 - Damaged Glider | 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.
Other NTSB records under N3617U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3617U: 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 1,187 aircraft on the register
- Bishop Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,098 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N3617U 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR12CA278.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.