- Date
- October 9, 2006, 18:33 local (Oct 10, 2006, 02:33 UTC)
- Place
- Chugiak, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N394BALetecky Zavody L-23 Super Blanik
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 26, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20061009024949A
- Case key
- 64830
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the glider while landing in gusty crosswind conditions, which resulted in a hard landing and structural damage to the fuselage. Factors associated with the accident were turbulence, a crosswind and wind gusts, and the pilot's inadequate evaluation of the weather conditions.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The private pilot reported he was attempting to land a glider in a strong and gusty crosswind. He had departed the same airport about 1.5 hours earlier on a personal, Title 14, CFR Part 91 flight. At the time of his departure, there was an active SIGMET for forecast and reported severe turbulence, as well as strong surface winds reported at adjacent airports. Upon his return, he stated that the surface winds and turbulence had increased significantly, and he estimated a 50 degree crosswind at 15 knots, with gusts to 29 knots. During the landing attempt he continued to encounter turbulence, and reported that the glider landed hard on the nose, resulting in structural damage to the forward fuselage and empennage. In his written report to the NTSB, the pilot noted, in part, that the difficulty in controlling the glider during landing was most likely exacerbated by his less than optimal use of the dive brakes, and that flights into such conditions should only be attempted by very experienced pilots
Factual narrative
The private pilot reported that he was attempting to land a glider in a strong and gusty crosswind. He had departed the same airport about 1.5 hours earlier on a personal, Title 14, CFR Part 91 flight. At the time of his departure, there was an active SIGMET for forecast and reported severe turbulence, as well as strong surface winds reported at adjacent airports. Upon his return, he stated that the surface winds and turbulence had increased significantly, and he estimated a 50 degree crosswind at 15 knots, with gusts to 29 knots. During the landing attempt he continued to encounter turbulence, and reported that the glider landed hard on the nose, resulting in structural damage to the forward fuselage and empennage. In his written report to the NTSB, the pilot noted, in part, that the difficulty in controlling the glider during landing was most likely exacerbated by his less than optimal use of the dive brakes, and that flights into such conditions should only be attempted by very experienced pilots
Aircraft
- Registration
- N394BA
- Reported as
- Letecky Zavody L-23 Super Blanik
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 01900Z
- Engine
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Civil Air Patrol
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2006
- Departed
- BCV · Chugiak, AK
- Destination
- Chugiak, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- BCV · Birchwood, runway 19R
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 272 total · 26 in this make and model · 18 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 15 knots, gusting 29
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.