- Date
- May 29, 1993, 16:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Elberta, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N640RMLet L-13
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930529015489A
- Case key
- 3215
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 inadequate preflight planning
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
According to the pilot, about fifteen minutes into the flight, he decided to return to the departure point. Upon turning eastward, he encountered a cloud layer at 4000 feet. While maneuvering around the clouds, the flight encountered a downdraft, at which time, the glider developed a 4000 foot per minute rate of descent. The pilot managed to arrest the sink rate but the glider's left wingtip collided with the ground as the pilot was attempting a precautionary landing. No mechanical problems were reported with the glider. The pilot did not receive a weather briefing prior to the flight
Factual narrative
On May 29, 1993 at 1615 central daylight time, a Blanik L-13 glider, N640RM, collided with the ground while attempting a precautionary landing near Elberta, Alabama. The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the two occupants were not injured. The flight departed Elberta at 1500 hours.
According to the pilot, he was returning to Elberta, when he encountered cloud buildups and a loss of lifting activity. He elected to land in a field but encountered a downdraft on short final and collided with the ground. No mechanical problems were reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N640RM
- Reported as
- Let L-13
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 025623
- Airframe hours
- 1,284
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Coastal Soaring Associates Inc
- Registered owner
- Coastal Soaring Associates Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 4, 1993 · 82 hours before
- Departed
- A04
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
- 31
- Certificates
- Commercial, Military, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 2,300 total · 27 in this make and model · 1,600 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 33 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MOB, 32 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.