Let BLANIK L 33 SOLO N388BA

Summary

On 3 October 2001 at about 17:15 local time, a Let BLANIK L 33 SOLO registered N388BA was involved in an accident near Windsor, Virginia, United States. One person was 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

3 October 2001 at 17:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Windsor, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

36.7996, -76.7293

Aircraft

Let BLANIK L 33 SOLO

Registration

N388BA

Category

Glider

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Windsor → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC02LA027

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a loose battery charger becoming entangled in the rudder pedals during a spin recovery, and a subsequent overstress of the glider. Factors included the loose battery charger, and the non-standard battery charging procedure.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot completed a preflight inspection of the glider, including the cockpit area. After a tow release at 3,000 feet msl, the pilot flew for about 1 hour. To descend, the pilot completed a spin to the right. He then induced a spin to the left, and heard a loud bang when an object struck the inside of the canopy. Then pilot then saw the object float forward and settle into the area where the rudder pedals were located. As he tried to apply opposite rudder, he felt a binding in the pedals. He had sufficient rudder authority to stop the spin's rotation; however, the airplane's dive angle and airspeed had increased significantly. The pilot "pulled back fairly hard" on the control stick, and as the airspeed climbed to 100-110 knots, he recovered the glider. The object that became entangled in the rudder pedals was subsequently identified as a transformer used for charging the glider's battery. The transformer was not normally used in the glider for recharging. It had been borrowed from another club member, and "someone" had used it to charge the battery via a long extension cord. The battery would have normally been disconnected, and put on a small transformer/charger in the club office.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.