# Accident 20050313004719A: Let L13BLANIK, Deland, FL, March 13, 2005 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: March 13, 2005, 17:04 local time - Place: Deland, FL - Airport: Bob Lee Flight Strip Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 29.1042° N, 81.3136° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.1042&lon=-81.3136&mi=10 - Aircraft: N14420, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N14420) (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 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Student - Pilot flight hours: 12 total, 12 in this make and model, 7 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA05LA077](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA05LA077) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050313004719A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) ON MARCH 13, 2005, AT APPROXIMATELY 17:04 LOCAL TIME, A BLANIK L-13 GLIDER, N14420, IMPACTED THE GRASS RUNWAY AT BOB LEE FLIGHT STRIP, DELAND, FLORIDA, IN A SEVERE NOSE DOWN ALTITUDE. N14420 WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED, AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITT^, A STUDENT PILOT AND SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE GLIDER, WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. AN INVESTIGATION OF THE CRASH SITE FOUND N14420 TO BE LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET WEST OF THE THRESHOLD OF RUNWAY 27 AT BOB LEE FLIGHT STRIP, SLIGHTLY RIGHT OF CENTER OF THE GRASS RUNWAY, AND ALIGNED ON A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 270 DEGREES. THE GLIDER SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE NOSE AND FRONT PILOT COMPARTMENT. THE RIGHT WING WAS BROKEN AWAY AT THE WING ROOT FROM ITS REAR CONNECTING POINT WITH THE FUSELAGE, AND THE LEFT WING RECEIVED MAJOR DAMAGE. THE EMPENNAGE WAS WRINKLED, THE CANOPY WAS BROKEN, AND THE VARIOMETER BATTERY WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET IN FRONT OF, AND SLIGHTLY RIGHT OF N14420. A DETAILED EXAMINATION OF N14420 REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS. THE FLAPS WERE UP AND THE SPOILERS WERE RETRACTED. THE ELEVATOR TRIM INDICATOR FOR THE REAR SEAT WAS IN THE FULL NOSE DOWN POSITION, WHICH CORRELATED TO THE ACTUAL POSITION OF THE TRIM TAB ON THE ELEVATOR. THE FRONT SEAT TRIM INDICATOR WAS DAMAGED TO THE EXTENT THAT ITS ACTUAL POSITION COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE FRONT SEAT CONTROL STICK WAS BROKEN APPROXIMATELY 6 INCHES ABOVE ITS BASE, ALTHOUGH CAREFUL INSPECTION OF SUCH CONTROL STICK SPECIFICALLY REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT DEFECT. DURING AN INTERVIEW WITH ^PRIVACY DA^ THE PILOT OF N14420, THE PILOT ^PRIVACY D^ STATED THAT HIS PLANS TO CONDUCT SOLO OPERATIONS IN BLANIK, N14420, EARLIER IN THE AFTERNOON OF MARCH 13, 2005, WERE DELAYED DUE TO STRONG, GUSTY WINDS. HOWEVER, AS WIND CONDITIONS IMPROVED, HE SATISFACTORILY CONDUCTED HIS FIRST SOLO FLIGHT OF THE DAY, WHICH CONSISTED OF A NORMAL TAKEOFF, PATTERN ENTRY, APPROACH, AND LANDING. THIS FLIGHT WAS THE PILOT'S ^PRIVACY DAT^ SIXTH SOLO FLIGHT ACCOMPLISHED WITHIN HIS FLIGHT TRAINING EXPERIENCE. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DA^ AFTER SATISFACTORILY PERFORMING THE SOLO FLIGHT DESCRIBED ABOVE, HE ELECTED TO CONDUCT ANOTHER SOLO FLIGHT, WHICH WAS INTENDED TO BE THE LAST FLIGHT OF THE DAY FOR N14420. SUCH SOLO FLIGHT WAS INITIATED AND PROCEEDED NORMALLY UNTIL THE LANDING PHASE OF THE FLIGHT. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY D^ STATED THAT HIS POSITIONING AND AIRSPEED DURING THE DOWNWIND, BASE AND FINAL SEGMENTS OF HIS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 27 SEEMED NORMAL. HOWEVER, SINCE THIS LANDING WAS PLANNED TO BE THE LAST ONE OF THE DAY FOR N14420, THE PILOT ^PRIVACY D^ STATED THAT HE INTENDED TO LAND AT A POINT FURTHER DOWN THE RUNWAY THAN THE NORMAL TOUCHDOWN POSITION FOR RUNWAY 27 SO THAT THE GLIDER WOULD COME TO REST NEAR THE LOCATION ON THE AIRPORT WHERE N14420 WAS STORED. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DA^ FURTHER STATED THAT AS HE CONTINUED HIS GLIDE OVER RUNWAY 27 TOWARDS HIS INTENDED POINT OF LANDING, THE POSITION OF N14420, AND IT'S AIRSPEED, SEEMED NORMAL. HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO THE PILOT ^PRIVACY D^, AT A POINT APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET FROM THE THRESHOLD OF RUNWAY 27, AND AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 8 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE RUNWAY, THE SOUND OF AIRFLOW OVER THE SURFACES OF N14420 "GOT QUIET", AND THE GLIDER ABRUPTLY PITCHED NOSE DOWN AND VIOLENTLY IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY D^ INDICATED THAT HE DID NOT NOTICE ANY INDICATIONS OF AN IMMINENT STALL, AND WAS GREATLY SURPRISED WHEN THE NOSE OF N14420 ABRUPTLY PITCHED DOWN. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE ACCIDENT OF N14420 WAS OBTAINED FROM ^PRIVACY^^PRIVACY ^, THE BROTHER OF THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WITNESSED THE CRASH, AND WHEN INTERVIEWED, PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION. ACCORDING TO ^PRIVACY DATA ^ WHO IS ALSO A GLIDER STUDENT PILOT, N14420 APPROACHED RUNWAY 27 IN A NORMAL MANNER TO A POINT ABOUT 500 FEET BEYOND THE THRESHOLD OF RUNWAY 27 AND AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 7 TO 8 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY SURFACE. AT THIS POINT, ^PRIVACY DATA ^ STATED THAT HE OBSERVED N14420 TO "SHUTTER", TO INCLUDE TWO QUICK "PITCH-DOWNS" OF THE NOSE, FOLLOWED BY AN ABRUPT "PITCH-DOWN" OF THE NOSE, RESULTING IN A VIOLENT IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. WIND CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE ESTIMATED BY ^PRIVACY DATA ^ TO BE FROM APPROXIMATELY 250 DEGREES AT 5 TO 15 KNOTS. OFFICIAL WIND CONDITIONS REPORTED 11 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT AT DAYTONA BEACH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 15 NAUTICAL MILES EAST OF BOB LEE AIR STRIP, WERE FROM 240 DEGREES AT 11 KNOTS, GUSTING TO 18 KNOTS. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE OPERATION OF N14420, OBTAINED DURING THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION, IS AS FOLLOWS. ALTHOUGH ^PRIVACY DATA ^ HAD PURCHASED N14420 ON DECEMBER 3, 2004, THE GLIDER WAS STILL REGISTERED IN THE PREVIO US OWNER'S NAME AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. ADDITIONALLY, AD 80-16-03, REQUIRING INSPECTION OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER OUTER END RIBS, HAD BEEN OVER FLOWN BY APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS. MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, THE VARIOMETER BATTERY, WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROPERLY INSTALLED ON THE FLOOR OF THE GLIDER BEHIND THE REAR SEAT, WAS SECURED WITH BUNGEE CORDS ON THE SHELF BEHIND AND ABOVE THE REAR SEAT. UPON IMPACT WITH THE GROUND DURING THE ACCIDENT OF N14420, THE VARIOMETER BATTERY, WEIGHING APPROXIMATELY 6 POUNDS, BROKE AWAY FROM THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, CAUSING A SIGNIFICANT DENT. THE BATTERY CONTINUED FORWARD, STRIKING THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DA^ IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD, AND THEN BROKE THROUGH THE CANOPY OF THE GLIDER. THE VARIOMETER BATTERY WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET IN FRONT OF THE LOCATION WHERE N14420 CAME TO REST AFTER IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. IF THIS BATTERY HAD STRUCK THE PILOT ^PRIVACY D^ IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD WITHOUT DISSIPATING ENERGY BY FIRST HITTING THE REAR SEAT INSTRUMENT PANEL, THE RESULTS MAY HAVE BEEN FATAL. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ## 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 MIA05LA077](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA05LA077), Mar 13, 2005: Let Blanik L-13 (N14420), DeLand, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient airspeed during landing, resulting in an inadvertent stall, undershoot and collision with the ground. ## Other reports on N14420 (2) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 19850623029449A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19850623029449A), Jun 23, 1985: Let L13BLANIK (N14420), Gregory, MI, Substantial damage. Inadvertent deployment of spoilers during takeoff. Released by tow plane and landing made in trees. - [Accident 19840929056669A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19840929056669A), Sep 29, 1984: Let L13BLANIK (N14420), Gregory, MI, Substantial damage. Glider crashed short of runway due to downdraft and pilot misjudgment. 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.