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20000522006309A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Let L13BLANIK · Pensacola, FL · May 22, 2000

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 22, 2000 · 14:00 local
Place
Pensacola, FL
Airport
Costal Airport
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N90867
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA00LA165
Reported as
Let L13BLANIK
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
46 total18 in this make and model8 in the last 90 days
N90867Registration cancelled Dec 8, 2021 · Let BLANIK L-13S/N 025727 · Built 1973Airframe modelLet BLANIK L-13Engine modelNONENone

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) During landing, student pilot failed to maintain sufficient airspeed and altitude to clear a five foot fence on the south end of the landing strip. Glider belly and lower right wing spoiner contacted fence which arrested the glider upright 180 degrees from original heading. Damage are: 1. Horizontal tail ripped off. 2. Vertical tail separated from fuselage on r/h side. 3. Tail cone and skid ripped off. 4. L/h wing warped forward due to g-load during sudden stoppage of glider. 5. Fuselage warped on r/h side aft of wing. 6. R/h wing upper attach point bent due to g-loads. 7. R/h lower spoiler ripped off. 8. Hole in lower fuselage at lower l/h side below cockpit spoilers and spoiler control found in deployed position. (.4) on may 22, 2000, about 1400 central daylight time, a Let blanik L-13, N90867, registered to the coastal soaring association, operating as a title 14 CFR part 91 instructional flight, crashed while attempting a landing in the vicinity of Pensacola, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The glider received substantial damage and the student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated from the same airport about 1 hour before the accident. According to the pilot, he misjudged the point at which he should begin his turn for final approach to coastal airport's runway 36, and as a result ended up low and slow short of the runway. He collided with a barbed-wire airport perimeter fence, shearing off the horizontal stabilizer and bending both wing spars. According to the student glider pilot, as well as his CFI w ho was observing from the ground, his base turn from the downwind leg was made at too low an altitude and too late, relative to his position in the landing pattern, to allow for arrival at the runway with sufficient altitude and airspeed for a safe landing. Contributing to the low and slow condition on final approach was the pilot's failure to realize the spoilers were still deployed. The glider collided with an airport perimeter fence short of the runway causing substantial damage.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) DURING LANDING, STUDENT PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED AND ALTITUDE TO CLEAR A FIVE FOOT FENCE ON THE SOUTH END OF THE LANDING STRIP. GLIDER BELLY AND LOWER RIGHT WING SPOINER CONTACTED FENCE WHICH ARRESTED THE GLIDER UPRIGHT 180 DEGREES FROM ORIGINAL HEADING. DAMAGE ARE: 1. HORIZONTAL TAIL RIPPED OFF. 2. VERTICAL TAIL SEPARATED FROM FUSELAGE ON R/H SIDE. 3. TAIL CONE AND SKID RIPPED OFF. 4. L/H WING WARPED FORWARD DUE TO G-LOAD DURING SUDDEN STOPPAGE OF GLIDER. 5. FUSELAGE WARPED ON R/H SIDE AFT OF WING. 6. R/H WING UPPER ATTACH POINT BENT DUE TO G-LOADS. 7. R/H LOWER SPOILER RIPPED OFF. 8. HOLE IN LOWER FUSELAGE AT LOWER L/H SIDE BELOW COCKPIT SPOILERS AND SPOILER CONTROL FOUND IN DEPLOYED POSITION. (.4) ON MAY 22, 2000, ABOUT 1400 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A LET BLANIK L-13, N90867, REGISTERED TO THE COASTAL SOARING ASSOCIATION, OPERATING AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT, CRASHED WHILE ATTEMPTING A LANDING IN THE VICINITY OF PENSACOLA, FLORIDA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE GLIDER RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE STUDENT PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE SAME AIRPORT ABOUT 1 HOUR BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE MISJUDGED THE POINT AT WHICH HE SHOULD BEGIN HIS TURN FOR FINAL APPROACH TO COASTAL AIRPORT'S RUNWAY 36, AND AS A RESULT ENDED UP LOW AND SLOW SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. HE COLLIDED WITH A BARBED-WIRE AIRPORT PERIMETER FENCE, SHEARING OFF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND BENDING BOTH WING SPARS. ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT GLIDER PILOT, AS WELL AS HIS CFI W HO WAS OBSERVING FROM THE GROUND, HIS BASE TURN FROM THE DOWNWIND LEG WAS MADE AT TOO LOW AN ALTITUDE AND TOO LATE, RELATIVE TO HIS POSITION IN THE LANDING PATTERN, TO ALLOW FOR ARRIVAL AT THE RUNWAY WITH SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE AND AIRSPEED FOR A SAFE LANDING. CONTRIBUTING TO THE LOW AND SLOW CONDITION ON FINAL APPROACH WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO REALIZE THE SPOILERS WERE STILL DEPLOYED. THE GLIDER COLLIDED WITH AN AIRPORT PERIMETER FENCE SHORT OF THE RUNWAY CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB MIA00LA165Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPensacola, FLThe student's failure to maintain the proper landing pattern altitude resulting in an undershoot during landing and collision with a fence. A factor in the accident was the pilot's failure to realize the spoilers were still deployed during the undershoot.May 22, 2000 · Substantial damage