NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA24LA029
Registry · N17903
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
SCHWEIZER SGS 2-33A
Year of manufacture
1973 · 50 years old at event
Engine
NONE NONE
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20250806
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A13D10
Registrant of record
HARRIS HILL SOARING CORP
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to attain a proper glidepath for a landing on the intended runway, which resulted in an off-airport landing and impact with soft terrain.
Factual narrative
At the conclusion of the glider flight, the pilot entered the left airport traffic pattern for landing, but the wind conditions had changed, so he maneuvered to the right traffic pattern. While on approach, the glider was too high, so he extended the dive brakes and attempted to slip the glider, but he was unable to lose enough altitude for a safe landing on the runway, and elected to land on an adjacent field. During touchdown, the nose of the glider dug into the soft terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe. The pilot stated there were no preimpact mechanical issues that precluded normal operation or performance and that he was “just too high” and unable to safely land on the runway. 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-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained
- — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2023_ERA24LA029.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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