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Atlas / NTSB / ERA22LA365

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ERA22LA365

2022-07-04 Windsor, Virginia, United States Airport · 3VA8 None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N249AF

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

SCHWEIZER SGS 1-26D

Year of manufacture

1968 · 54 years old at event

Engine

NONE NONE

Seats / Engines

1 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19680930

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A25174

Registrant of record

BLAKESLEE RAYMOND D

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The glider’s encounter with atmospheric conditions, where lift was not sufficient to maintain flight.

Factual narrative

The pilot stated that after departing for local area soaring, he found himself in “dying lift”. He attempted to recover altitude but was unsuccessful. He said that the glider encountered additional “sink” and did not have sufficient altitude to reach the airport. During the forced landing on rough terrain the left wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Attain/maintain not possible
  • Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Thermal lifting-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_ERA22LA365.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.