# Accident 20191018019599A: Sportine Aviacija Ir Ko LAK-17B FES, Tamaqua, PA, October 18, 2019

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 18, 2019, 15:42 local time
- Place: Tamaqua, PA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.7433° N, 76.0183° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.7433&lon=-76.0183&mi=10
- Aircraft: N830DK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N830DK-2022-09-03) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Sportine Aviacija IR Ko LAK-17B FES (registry code 05631PN, https://openairdocs.org/model/sportine-aviacija-ir-ko-lak-17b-fes) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SPORTINE AVIACIJA IR KO LAK-17B FES
- Reported engine: AMA/EXPR UNKNOWN ENG
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 300 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA20FA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20FA013) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20191018019599A

## Narrative

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

ON OCTOBER 18, 2019, ABOUT 1542 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A SPORTINE AVIACIJA LAK-17B MOTORIZED GLIDER, N830DK, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT IMPACTED TERRAIN NEAR TAMAQUA, PENNSYLVANIA. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE PERSONAL LOCAL FLIGHT THAT DEPARTED BLAIRSTOWN AIRPORT (1N7), BLAIRSTOWN, NEW JERSEY ABOUT 0945.

ACCORDING TO THE WITNESS, HE WAS WORKING OUTSIDE WHEN HE LOOKED UP AND SAW "AN AIRPLANE" ABOUT .5 MILE AWAY HEADING STRAIGHT DOWN. HE STOPPED AND WATCHED "THE AIRPLANE" FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE IT DISAPPEARED BEHIND SOME TREES.

## 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 ERA20FA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20FA013), Oct 18, 2019: Sportine Aviacija LAK17B (N830DK), Tamaqua, PA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's exceedance of the glider's critical angle of attack while climbing in thermal lift, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin.

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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