# Accident 19980614013479A: Let BLANIK L-13, Hempstead, TX, June 14, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: June 14, 1998, 17:15 local time - Place: Hempstead, TX - Airport: Hempsted Gliderport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Final Approach - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 30.0892° N, 96.0797° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.0892&lon=-96.0797&mi=10 - Aircraft: N73534, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N73534-2013-02-21) (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) - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 81 total, 7 in this make and model, 4 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW98LA264](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98LA264) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980614013479A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. 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. ## 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 FTW98LA264](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98LA264), Jun 14, 1998: Let Blanik L-13 (N73534), Hempstead, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain the proper rate of descent. Factor were the pilot's inadvertent lowering of the flaps instead of extending the spoilers, and his lack of experience in gliders. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.