# Accident 19971101040839A: Let L13BLANIK, Jonesville, NC, November 1, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 1, 1997, 15:21 local time
- Place: Jonesville, NC
- Airport: Swan Creek Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.2497° N, 80.8409° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2497&lon=-80.8409&mi=10
- Aircraft: N65140, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N65140-2023-06-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Let BLANIK L-13 (registry code 1360306, https://openairdocs.org/model/let-blanik-l-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: LET L13BLANIK
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 226 total, 22 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA98LA023](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98LA023) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971101040839A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

BECAME TOO LOW ON FINAL. STRUCK PERIMETER FENCE SHORT OF RUNWAY. BLAMED HIGH WIND TURBULENCE AND HIGH SINK RATE. (-23) INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT ON TRAINING FLIGHT. INSTRUCTOR STATED THE SURFACE WINDS HAD INCREASED AFTER DEPARTURE. THE INSTRUCTOR FAILED TO ANTICIPATE THE WIND AND LANDED SHORT OF RUNWAY 20 AT SWAN CREEK AIRPORT AND THE RIGHT WING STRUCK A BARB WIRE FENCE THAT SPANS THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY. NO INJURIES, HOWEVER THE IMPACT SEPARATED THE RIGHT WING FORWARD ATTACH POINT, EFFECTIVELY TOTALING THE AIRCRAFT. (GLIDER'S ASSEMBLE AND DISASSEMBLE).

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB MIA98LA023](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98LA023), Nov 1, 1997: Let L-13 (N65140), Elkin, NC, substantial damage. Probable cause: The instructor's pilot's misjudgment of altitude and distance, and his inadequate compensation for the wind conditions. Unfavorable winds and a fence were contributing factors.

## Other reports on N65140 (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19881219068909I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19881219068909I), Dec 19, 1988: Let L13BLANIK (N65140), Johnson City, TN, Minor damage. Accidently applied flaps instead of speed brakes due to control positions. Aircraft ballooned and ran off runway.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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