- Date
- July 24, 1993, 14:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Durango, CO
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N48069Let L-13
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 19, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930724025289A
- Case key
- 18302
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 failure of the tow plane pilot to warn the glider pilot that he was releasing the tow line. A factor was: an inadvertent stall by the pilot in command.
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
Both the glider and tow plane pilots agreed that if the glider was airborne by midfield, the glider pilot would release the tow. Takeoff was normal and the glider was airborne before midfield. The tow plane pilot, however, encountered a wind gust or shear that lifted the tow plane, then caused it to settle to the ground. He sensed he was not accelerating and gaining altitude as he should. He released the tow line. The glider pilot followed the tow plane to maintain proper tow position. As the tow plane climbed out, he realized he had been released and saw his airspeed deteriorating. The right wing began to stall and drop. He attempted to land in an empty parking lot, but the right wing struck the railing of an observation deck. The tow plane pilot said he failed to warn the glider pilot about the tow release because he assumed he would see and feel the release, and he did not want to distract him from flying and glider.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48069
- Reported as
- Let L-13
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 026129
- Airframe hours
- 2,102
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- St. Clair, Lavern D., doing business as Durango Soaring Club
- Registered owner
- St. Clair, Lavern D.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 11, 1993 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- CD82
- Destination
- CD82
- Airport
- CD82 · Val Air Gliderport, runway 35, 3,500 × 240 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
- 61
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 3,869 total · 30 in this make and model · 3,869 as pilot in command · 68 in the last 90 days · 54 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.