Let L-13 N70741

Summary

On 17 June 1999 at about 17:45 local time, a Let L-13 registered N70741, operated by Sunbird Aviation, Inc, was involved in an accident near Belgrade, Montana, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 June 1999 at 17:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Belgrade, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Gallatin Field (BZN)

Coordinates

45.8100, -111.1508

Aircraft

Let L-13

Registration

N70741

Category

Glider

Operator

Sunbird Aviation, Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA99LA087

Nobody was injured.

The pilot in command's failure to maintain clearance from a parked airplane during his attempt to avoid a person on the runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

After performing two 360 degree turns on base leg before turning final due to traffic which had not cleared the runway, the glider was cleared to land. Ground control asked him to immediately remove the glider off the north side of the runway upon rolling out. The student was flying the glider at that time. The tow pilot entered the runway in front of the glider and motioned to turn the glider off the runway. The glider flight instructor said that he started to give instructions to the student to put the left wing down to start the turn, but realized they were going too fast to safely make a turn without hitting the tow pilot. The instructor took the controls and tried to make a right turn away from the tow pilot and tow plane, but toward the runway. The wing tip of the glider struck the prop of the tow plane and caused damage to the underside of the glider's wing. The tow pilot noted that he assumed the tower would have told the glider pilot the same instructions he had received. He said he expected the glider pilot to be prepared for his hand signals directing him off of the runway. The tow pilot believed that, not having been briefed by the tower, the glider was landed longer and faster than usual to fit the flight instruction that the student required. The instructor said that while the instructions from the tower were distracting and caused the glider to be low on final, ' I think the communication to the tow pilot (and not the glider) caused the tow pilot to enter the runway and caused the evasive maneuver that contributed to the accident. Despite the confusion a safe landing was underway until that time; I should have rolled out straight ahead and made the tow pilot jump clear and then the collision would have never occurred.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.