- Date
- May 31, 2021, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pittsfield, PA · KP15 Airport
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N912BLet L-23 Super Blanik
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA / FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210531013249A
- Case key
- 103234
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 student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and loss of directional control.
Findings · 2
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
The student pilot had completed a training flight to pattern altitude just prior to the accident flight with his flight instructor. After that flight, the glider was towed to 3,000 feet above ground level and released from the tow rope so the student pilot could get some solo practice. The total duration of the solo flight was approximately 1.5 hours. Nothing unusual occurred with the flight until the student pilot turned on to the final leg of the traffic pattern for landing. The glider descended quicker than usual as the student pilot had the airbrakes (wing spoilers) extended. The pilot also stated that developed a leg cramp in his right leg on final approach. The pilot subsequently landed the glider “hard” and after touchdown, the pilot lost directional control. The glider then veered off the left side of the runway, struck a runway light and a drainage culvert with the right wing leading edge and lower airbrake, and then struck a taxiway light with the left wing. The glider’s right wing and fuselage were substantially damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N912B
- Reported as
- Let L-23 Super Blanik
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 917912
- Built
- 1992
- Airframe hours
- 1,274.3
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Brokenstraw Soaring Club Inc
- Registered owner
- Brokenstraw Soaring Club Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 10, 2021
- Departed
- P15 · Pittsfield, PA
- Airport
- P15 · Brokenstraw, runway 27, 3,650 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 21 total · 21 in this make and model · 3 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.30 inHg
- Observed at
- KJHW, 20 nm away
- METAR
- KJHW 311756Z AUTO 27010KT 160V050 10SM CLR 17/03 A3030 RMK AO2 SLP266 T01720033 10172 20083 58013
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 14, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 15.9 MB 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.