What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Glider landed with too much speed. Pulled ou at the end of the rwy. Struck a power line, truck, and building. (.4) when the glider was adjacent to the intended touch down point, the pilot `took out some of the spoilers to decrease sink rate.' After initiating a left turn to base leg he realized th at the `altitude was still much too great and attempted to deploy full spoilers.' Observers on the ground noted that `no spoilers were deployed; rather, the flaps appeared to have been extended instead.' On final approach, the pilot lowered the nose to try and touch down on the runway, and the aircraft `propoised' due to the `excessive' speed. Approximately 50 feet from the departure end of the runway and less than 15 feet AGL, the pilot `lifted the plane off the ground to avoid hitting the property fence and crossing highway 290.' He flew the glider over the highway and forced it to the ground in a dirt parking lot. The glider came to a stop after hitting a metal building. The glider also hit a neutral power line during the landing to the parking lot. In the blanik L-13, the handle for the spoilers is located directly underneath the handle used to deploy the flaps. The pilot stated that `in concentrating on other factors during landing, it appears that I pulled the wrong lever.' The private pilot rated student had 7 hours total glider time. (-23) third solo flight. Private pilot with student pilot privileges in gliders attempted a landing too high and with too much speed. Student pilot says he attempted to deploy spoilers, but instead deployed the flaps (spoiler control and flap control are adjacent and identical in shape and feel). Pilot overshot the glider field and overflew a busy us highway 290 (four lane divided highway) at approximately 15 feet. Glider struck and broke an electrical powerline with the left wingtip, then hit a storage building with the nose of the aircraft. The final resting position was an estimated 15 to 20 degrees from the wire strike location. Significant wing tip damage from the wire strike. Right wing was loosened from the impact swept forward about 10 degrees and the leading edge of the right wing intruded into the rear cockpit area approximately 6 inches. The fuselage and empannage had major damage, apparently from the vertical impact. Pilot's injuries, initi ally classified as serious, are limited to spinal compression with an expected full recovery.
As the FAA filed it
GLIDER LANDED WITH TOO MUCH SPEED. PULLED OU AT THE END OF THE RWY. STRUCK A POWER LINE, TRUCK, AND BUILDING. (.4) WHEN THE GLIDER WAS ADJACENT TO THE INTENDED TOUCH DOWN POINT, THE PILOT `TOOK OUT SOME OF THE SPOILERS TO DECREASE SINK RATE.' AFTER INITIATING A LEFT TURN TO BASE LEG HE REALIZED TH AT THE `ALTITUDE WAS STILL MUCH TOO GREAT AND ATTEMPTED TO DEPLOY FULL SPOILERS.' OBSERVERS ON THE GROUND NOTED THAT `NO SPOILERS WERE DEPLOYED; RATHER, THE FLAPS APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN EXTENDED INSTEAD.' ON FINAL APPROACH, THE PILOT LOWERED THE NOSE TO TRY AND TOUCH DOWN ON THE RUNWAY, AND THE AIRCRAFT `PROPOISED' DUE TO THE `EXCESSIVE' SPEED. APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY AND LESS THAN 15 FEET AGL, THE PILOT `LIFTED THE PLANE OFF THE GROUND TO AVOID HITTING THE PROPERTY FENCE AND CROSSING HIGHWAY 290.' HE FLEW THE GLIDER OVER THE HIGHWAY AND FORCED IT TO THE GROUND IN A DIRT PARKING LOT. THE GLIDER CAME TO A STOP AFTER HITTING A METAL BUILDING. THE GLIDER ALSO HIT A NEUTRAL POWER LINE DURING THE LANDING TO THE PARKING LOT. IN THE BLANIK L-13, THE HANDLE FOR THE SPOILERS IS LOCATED DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THE HANDLE USED TO DEPLOY THE FLAPS. THE PILOT STATED THAT `IN CONCENTRATING ON OTHER FACTORS DURING LANDING, IT APPEARS THAT I PULLED THE WRONG LEVER.' THE PRIVATE PILOT RATED STUDENT HAD 7 HOURS TOTAL GLIDER TIME. (-23) THIRD SOLO FLIGHT. PRIVATE PILOT WITH STUDENT PILOT PRIVILEGES IN GLIDERS ATTEMPTED A LANDING TOO HIGH AND WITH TOO MUCH SPEED. STUDENT PILOT SAYS HE ATTEMPTED TO DEPLOY SPOILERS, BUT INSTEAD DEPLOYED THE FLAPS (SPOILER CONTROL AND FLAP CONTROL ARE ADJACENT AND IDENTICAL IN SHAPE AND FEEL). PILOT OVERSHOT THE GLIDER FIELD AND OVERFLEW A BUSY US HIGHWAY 290 (FOUR LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY) AT APPROXIMATELY 15 FEET. GLIDER STRUCK AND BROKE AN ELECTRICAL POWERLINE WITH THE LEFT WINGTIP, THEN HIT A STORAGE BUILDING WITH THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE FINAL RESTING POSITION WAS AN ESTIMATED 15 TO 20 DEGREES FROM THE WIRE STRIKE LOCATION. SIGNIFICANT WING TIP DAMAGE FROM THE WIRE STRIKE. RIGHT WING WAS LOOSENED FROM THE IMPACT SWEPT FORWARD ABOUT 10 DEGREES AND THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RIGHT WING INTRUDED INTO THE REAR COCKPIT AREA APPROXIMATELY 6 INCHES. THE FUSELAGE AND EMPANNAGE HAD MAJOR DAMAGE, APPARENTLY FROM THE VERTICAL IMPACT. PILOT'S INJURIES, INITI ALLY CLASSIFIED AS SERIOUS, ARE LIMITED TO SPINAL COMPRESSION WITH AN EXPECTED FULL RECOVERY.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.