Let BLANIK L-13 N90870
19 April 2008 · Dansville, New York, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 19 April 2008 at about 20:00 local time, a Let BLANIK L-13 registered N90870, operated by Finger Lakes Soaring Club, was involved in an accident near Dansville, New York, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 20:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Dansville, New York, United States
- Nearest airport
- Dansville Municipal (DSV)
- Coordinates
- 42.5708, -77.7128
- Aircraft
- Let BLANIK L-13
- Registration
- N90870
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- Finger Lakes Soaring Club
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Dansville → Dansville
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC08LA168
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to attain the proper glide path and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action. Contributing to the accident was the encountered headwind.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The flight instructor was conducting a glider familiarization flight with the private pilot, who had not flown in a glider for about 3 years. The private pilot entered the traffic pattern for the grass landing area adjacent to runway 14. The flight instructor stated that the private pilot was "a little reluctant" to remove the dive brakes and that the instructor removed them while on final approach at 600 feet above ground level. He further stated that the glider encountered a wind gradient that substantially reduced the glider's glide ratio. The glider subsequently landed short of the desired touchdown point and the left wing struck a tree. The glider came to rest about 100 feet before the runway. The private pilot stated that she felt the glider was "too high" until she turned onto the final approach path and realized it was actually "too low." Winds reported at the airport about the time of the accident were from 140 degrees at 15 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Let BLANIK accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Aug 2008 | Let BLANIK L-13 | Bend, Oregon, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 2008 | Let BLANIK | Gardner, Kansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jul 2008 | Let BLANIK L-13 | Arlington, Washington, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 2009 | Let BLANIK L-13 | Llano, California, United States | Southern California Soaring Academy | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Oct 2007 | Let BLANIK L-13 | Hemet, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Apr 2007 | Let BLANIK L-13 | Llano, California, United States | Henrich G Brigentoff | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Mar 2008 | Robinson R44 | Montgomery, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 2008 | Cessna 172F | White Plains, New York, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 2008 | Cessna C-195 | Johnstown, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Dec 2008 | Cessna 172 | Corning, New York, United States | Costa Flying Services | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 2008 | Aerospatiale AS355F1 | New York, New York, United States | Liberty Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 16 Oct 2008 | Sikorsky S-76C | New York, New York, United States | Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | No injuries | - |