- Date
- August 24, 1985, 16:05 local (21:05 UTC)
- Place
- Huntsville, AL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N99954Let L-13
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850824046889A
- Case key
- 6885
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 commercial plt was in training for a glider rating & was on a supervised solo flt to practice a landing. During the traffic pattern, he rolled out hi on final & extended the spoilers to adjust to the desired glide path, then retracted the spoilers to the 50% position. Shortly thereafter, he realized he was low & retracted the spoilers. However, he was unable to glide to the rwy. Subsequently, the glider collided with a hedge row about 50 ft short of the rwy. The plt felt that his experience flying powered acft may have interfered with his training in gliders.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99954
- Reported as
- Let L-13
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 025905
- Engine
- none L-13, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Hunstville Soaring Club
- Registered owner
- Sale Reported
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 11, 1985
- Airport
- 3M5 · Sky Park
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
- 43
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 955 total · 3 in this make and model · 692 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft unknown
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N99954 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.