Accident: Schweizer SGS233
Aug 5, 2018 · Churchville, MD
NTSB numberERA18LA211Event id20180806X75058
- 0
- Fatalities
- 0
- Serious injuries
- 0
- Minor injuries
- 2
- Uninjured
Probable cause
The pilots' decision to take off from a wet, upsloping turf runway with a quartering tailwind and elevated density altitude conditions, which degraded takeoff and climb performance and resulted in the glider flight instructor's decision to discontinue the takeoff and the glider's subsequent impact with trees. Also causal was the pilots' failure to adhere to the operator's standard operating procedures, which prohibited takeoff with a tailwind.
Source: National Transportation Safety Board. Record last changed Oct 28, 2026, 10:54 UTC.
Aircraft involved
- Aircraft
- Schweizer SGS233
- Registration
- N2832H
- Year built
- 1978
- Category
- Glider
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rules
- Part 91: general aviation
- Defining event
- Initial climb Glider tow event
Source: National Transportation Safety Board aviation accident database. Counts only; Voydar holds no names.
Nearest airports
Airports with a Voydar profile closest to the recorded position. Proximity only.
- Phillips Army Air Field (APG)6 nm (12 km) south
- Weide (Aberdeen Proving Ground) Army Heliport (KEDG)11 nm (21 km) south
- Martin State Airport (MTN)17 nm (32 km) south-west
This page restates the NTSB's public record. Injury figures are counts; Voydar does not hold or publish the names of anyone involved.