Soaring Safety Foundation

The Soaring Safety Foundation (SSF) is the Training and Safety arm of the Soaring Society of America (SSA). Our mission is to provide instructors and pilots with the tools needed to teach/learn both the stick & rudder skills and the Aeronautical Decision Making skills needed to safely fly a glider. We also provide information and analysis of incident and accident trends in order to develop better training tools.

Data collected from Open Glider Network (OGN) as of Saturday February 14, 2026

Duration	Gliders	Flights	Hours
Year to Date	320	2827	1437.93
Last 7 Days	158	811	418

This table shows the number of individual gliders that recorded a flight in the OGN tracking system and the number of flights/hours those gliders flew.

Flight Training
Videos , CFI Webinars , and Scenario Database

These videos are introductory in nature and are geared to learning to soar, or a new soaring skill.

Flight Safety
Videos and Incident Database

These videos are safety oriented and appropriate for glider pilots of any skill level.

Visit the Soaring Safety Foundation's Youtube Channel
The SSA's YouTube Video Playlist

The Soaring Incident Database is now available to help pilots, safety officers, clubs, and commercial operators develop new programs that can help prevent incidents from becoming major accidents. See more incidents by searching the database or register a new incident.

Region	Pilot Certificate	Pilot Injuries	Passenger Injuries	Type of Flight	Launch Method	Type of Aircraft
Midwest	Commercial	None	None	Local		Towplane
Incident Activity	Damage to Aircraft	Damage to Canopy	Incident Date	Incident Time	Weather	SSA Member
	Substantial		2025-10-04	1000-1200	Clear	Yes
Incident Description	An ATP rated Towpilot (CFI-A & CFI-G, but is 'low-time' in taildraggers with <250 hours) was conducting a run-up of the engine on a towplane for the sole purpose of checking the engine's rpm and ability to make power to compare notes with another tow pilot (subsequent to some engine work that had been performed on the aircraft). During the run up (with full power), the pilot became distracted while trying to close the window of the aircraft, lost control of the aircraft allowing the tail to lift off the ground and rise upwards resulting in a propeller strike. The pilot reacted in such manner as to slam the tail back down on the ground resulting in significant damage to the tailwheel, rudder and the Schweizer tow release. The engine will need a complete teardown and inspection, and likely an overhaul.
Other Comments	I wish to remain anonymous. The pilot should have kept a sterile cockpit environment and abandoned the run up (fully reducing power) before making any attempt to close the window. The club is resolved to require at least 250 hours of tailwheel experience before allowing a member to obtain a towpilot checkout and become a club designated towpilot (note: this will damper the club's ability to recruit tow pilots at a time when the club is losing 1-2 experienced tow pilots due to age and proficiency issues).