# Incident 20070324003409I: Let L23, San Diego, CA, March 24, 2007

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 24, 2007, 14:30 local time
- Place: San Diego, CA
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.7153° N, 117.1573° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of San Diego, CA, within about 10 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.7153&lon=-117.1573&mi=10
- Aircraft: N237SB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N237SB-2010-05-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Let L-23 SUPER BLANIK (registry code 1360308, https://openairdocs.org/model/let-l-23-super-blanik) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: NONE (registry code 00000, https://openairdocs.org/engine/none) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: LET L23
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,355 total, 700 in this make and model, 30 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070324003409I

## Narrative

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

(-23) REMOTE CONTROLLED AIRPLANE (RC) FLEW INTO GLIDER'S RIGHT WING DURING GLIDER'S FINAL APPROACH TO LANDING AT TORREY PINES. PILOT IN COMMAND'S STATEMENT: I ^PRIVACY DATA ^ AS PIC WAS GIVING AN AREA AND PROCEDURES CHECK RIDE TO ANOTHER GLIDER PILOT/OWNER BEFORE HE WOULD BE RELEASED TO FLY HIS OWN GLIDER AT TORREY PINES. WE HAD APPROACHED THE WEST END OF THE RUNWAY ON A HEADING OF 000. WE HAD SIGNALED OUR INTENTION TO MAKE THE STANDARD 270 PATTERN TO LANDING. WE SAW NO HANG GLIDERS, PARAGLIDERS OR R/C GLIDERS WITHIN THE PATTERN AREA. OUR GROUND CREW HAD ACTIVATED THE SIGNAL HORN IN RESPONSE TO OUR LANDING SIGNAL. THE SIGNAL HORN IS ROUTINELY USED TO WARN ALL OTHER PILOTS OF A FULL SCALE GLIDER LANDING APPROACH. ALL OTHER PILOTS ARE SUPPOSED TO REMAIN CLEAR OF THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY WHILE THE SIGNAL HORN IS SOUNDING. WHILE ON OUR FINAL FOR A DOWN WIND LANDING AT APPROX. 150 FEET AND APPROX. 800 FEET FROM OUR TOUCHDOWN POINT WE WERE SHOCKED WITH A VERY LOUD BANG SOUND. WE BOTH MADE A GLANCE TO OUR RIGHT AND SAW MODEL PIECES SCATTERING AWAY AND ONE COMPLETE MODEL WING FOLDED OVER OUR WINT ABOUT 4 FEET FROM THE TIP. THE MODEL WING REMAINED ON OUR WING UNTIL OUR FLARE AS ESTIMATED BY WHERE IT WAS RETRIVED FROM THE RUNWAY. I AND MY FELLOW PILOT CONCENTRATED ON CONTINUING OUR LANDING (FLY THE PLANE!). WE DID NOT FEEL ANY CHANGE IN THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR SAILPLANE. NEITHER MYSELF NOR MY PILOT PASSENGER SAW THE MODEL GLIDER APPROACH US FROM THE FRONT. PRELIMINARY REPAIR ESTIMATES ARE RUNNING IN THE $4000 - $5000 RANGE TO REPLACE ONE COMPLETE WING SKIN AND POSSIBLY ONE RIB TIP.

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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