- Date
- July 8, 1999, 19:15 local (Jul 9, 1999, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Sylvania, WI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3209FLet Blanik L-13
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990708008529A
- Case key
- 46759
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 misjudged planned approach and the evasive maneuver attempted by the pilot-in-command. A factor was the presence of trees.
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 Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) reported that she was demonstrating a landing approach in the glider without the use of dive-brakes. The CFI stated that that the glider landed long, and during the landing roll, it became evident that the aircraft would not stop before the end of the runway. The CFI reported that in order to avoid overrunning into a corn field at the end of the runway, she deployed the dive-brakes and turned the aircraft to the right towards an open flat field. The aircraft impacted between two trees on the right side of the runway. Inspection of the wreckage revealed no pre-accident flight control anomalies.
Factual narrative
On July 8, 1999, at 1915 central daylight time, a LET Blanik L-13, N3209F, piloted by a commercial flight instructor, received substantial damage during an on-ground collision with two trees while landing on Runway 26R (2,360 feet by 120 feet, dry/turf) at the Sylvania Airport, Sylvania, Wisconsin. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local instructional flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 and was not on a flight plan. The Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) and dual student reported no injuries. The flight departed the Sylvania Airport at 1845 and was landing at the time of the accident.
The CFI reported that she was demonstrating a landing approach without the use of dive-brakes. The CFI stated that that the glider landed long and during the landing roll it became evident that the aircraft would not stop before the end of the runway. The CFI reported that in order to avoid overrunning into a corn field, at the end of the runway, she deployed the dive-brakes, and turned the aircraft to the right towards an open flat field. The aircraft impacted between two trees on the right side of the runway.
Inspection of the wreckage revealed no pre-accident flight control anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3209F
- Reported as
- Let Blanik L-13 (BLANIK L-1)
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 26526
- Airframe hours
- 1,206
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Engel Charles L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 26, 1998 · 61 hours before
- Departed
- C89
- Airport
- C89 · Sylvania Airport, runway 26, 2,360 × 120 ft, grass/turf
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,063 total · 22 in this make and model · 1,023 as pilot in command · 76 in the last 90 days · 34 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RAC, 7 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.