NTSB CAROL · Event
Event SEA87LA117
Registry · N3616F
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
SCHWEIZER SGS 1-36
Year of manufacture
1980 · 7 years old at event
Engine
NONE NONE
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19801217
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A41333
Registrant of record
WENGAIR LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
WHILE SOARING, THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED IN THE AREA. THE PILOT RETURNED TO THE LANDING FIELD, ENCOUNTERING TURBULENCE AND GUSTY WINDS. ON LANDING ROLL, GUSTY WINDS CAUSED THE SINGLE-WHEEL GLIDER TO DRIFT INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. SURFACE WINDS REPORTED AT RENO AIRPORT (30 MILES EAST), ABOUT 15 MINUTES AFTER THE ACCIDENT, WERE 240 DEGREES AT 20 KNOTS, GUSTING TO 25 KNOTS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1987_SEA87LA117.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (turbulence, thunderstorm). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
An Examination of Aviation Accidents Associated with Turbulence, Wind Shear and Thunderstorm
The focal point of the study reported here was the definition and examination of turbulence, wind shear and thunderstorm in relation to aviation accidents.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Observations of severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops
Data derived from the flight tapes of two airliners that experienced severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops are used to produce quantitative descriptions of the turbulence and its environment.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Proceedings
Operational evaluation of thunderstorm penetration test flights during project Storm Hazards '80
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is conducting a research project called Storm Hazards '80 in order to study the prediction, detectability and avoidance of the hazards of severe storm…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Severe Turbulence and Maneuvering from Airline Flight Records
Digital flight records from reported clear-air turbulence incidents are used to determine winds and turbulence, to determine maneuver g loads, and to analyze control problems.
- arXiv 2026 · arXiv preprint
Direct Numerical Simulations of Ice-Ocean Boundary Turbulence
Turbulent heat and freshwater transport at ice-ocean interfaces controls glacier and iceberg melt rates, yet the underlying physics remains poorly constrained.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2025 · Journal article (JAAER)
Political Turbulence and Aviation Safety: A Cross-National Analysis of Political Stability's Effects on Aviation Accidents
To what extent does political stability affect aviation safety? This research aims to link domestic political conditions and public safety through the consideration of aviation accident frequency.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗