N33964 – Schweizer SGS-2-33A – 2005-09-25 NTSB Accident Report

On September 25, 2005, a Schweizer SGS-2-33A (N33964) was involved in an incident near Windsor, VA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The solo student pilot's loss of control during landing.

The student pilot of a Schweizer SGS 2-33A glider was on her first solo flight. The pilot released the glider from the tow plane about 3000 feet mean sea level, and upon returning to the gliderport, descended below traffic pattern altitude because she "misread her altimeter." According to witnesses, the glider appeared "very low" on the base leg. The pilot overflew the runway approach path, turned "too sharply" to align with the runway centerline, and "[the glider] fell out of the sky." The glider overflew the runway and struck a hangar wall, a tent support post, and came to rest on top of two ground support vehicles. The pilot reported that there were no deficiencies with the performance and handling of the glider.

This incident is documented in NTSB report IAD05CA148. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N33964.