- Date
- July 31, 2021, 12:58 local (16:58 UTC)
- Place
- Sterling, MA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N373BALet L-23 Super Blanik
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- 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
- 20210731012279A
- Case key
- 103704
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 flight instructor’s lack of remedial action, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall in the landing flare and a hard 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
The flight instructor reported that student pilot was flying the glider as it approached to land with the air brakes in the fully extended position. As the student pilot attempted to flare, the glider pitched up and stalled several feet above the runway, resulting in a hard landing. During the hard landing, the glider sustained minor damage and the student pilot was not injured; however, the flight instructor was seriously injured. The flight instructor added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the glider and he should have had his hands in close proximity to the controls to be ready to prevent any abrupt inputs and take control if required.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N373BA
- Reported as
- Let L-23 Super Blanik
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 008713
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 2,545
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Greater Boston Soaring Club
- Registered owner
- Greater Boston Soaring Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 17, 2020
- Airport
- 3B3 · Sterling Airport, runway 34, 3,086 × 40 ft, asphalt
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 76
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Last flight review
- August 30, 2020
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 733 total · 80 in this make and model · 695 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 12 total · 2 in this make and model · 0 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- FIT, 10 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 13, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 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.