NTSB WPR25LA138 — 2025-04-19 · Hood River, Oregon, United States

Current FAA registration · N5786S

Make / Model: SCHWEIZER SGS 2-33A
Year of manufacture: 1968 · 57 years old at event
Engine: NONE NONE
Seats / Engines: 2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19680625
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A76F5C

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N5786S Schweizer SGS 2-33A None

Probable cause & findings

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

Factual narrative

The flight instructor reported that while turning final, the glider encountered a loss of lift and there was not sufficient altitude to reach the airport. The instructor chose to land in an orchard, and during the landing roll, the glider struck several small trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and left horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-Thermal lifting-Contributed to outcome
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Attain/maintain not possible

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_WPR25LA138.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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