- Date
- August 28, 2010, 09:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Socorro, NM
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N361BALet L-23 Super Blanik
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern base: Loss of lift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20100828054479A
- Case key
- 77129
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
A loss of lift that resulted in an off-airport landing.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to a written statement received from the Civil Air Patrol, and forwarded to the National Transportation Safety Board, the glider lost lift while preparing to land. The pilot selected an off-field landing location and during the landing attempt, encountered terrain and a fence that was not expected. The glider was substantially damaged during the impact. An examination of the glider and its systems, conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration, revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
According to a written statement received from the Civil Air Patrol, and forwarded to the National Transportation Safety Board, the glider lost lift while preparing to land. The pilot selected an off field landing location and during the landing attempt, encountered terrain and a fence that was not expected. The glider was substantially damaged during the impact. An examination of the glider and its systems, conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration, revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N361BA
- Reported as
- Let L-23 Super Blanik
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 008703
- Airframe hours
- 650
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Public use
- Operator
- Civil Air Patrol Inc
- Registered owner
- Civil Air Patrol Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 3, 2010
- Departed
- KONM · Socorro, NM
- Destination
- KONM · Socorro, NM
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- KONM · Socorro
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
- 74
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 3, 2009
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 2,469 total · 147 in this make and model · 2,269 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KONM
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 23, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 125 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.