- Date
- April 2, 1983, 10:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- California City, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N99965Let L-13
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830402021219A
- Case key
- 23715
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
During flt, the glider sustained in-flt structural damage while maneuvering at an altitude of aprx 17,500 ft MSL in the vicinity of California City, CA. During a preliminary verbal statement to an FAA inspector, the plt stated that he had done a couple of loops. He said he had just recovered to level flt when he heard a couple of loud bangs, then felt a severe vibration in the controls. Later, the plt insisted that no aerobatic maneuvers were performed, but that he had encounter turbulence & had 'flown thru a rotor.' Wrinkles were found in the skin on the aft fuselage & empennage, the verticle stabilizer was deformed & the left horizonal stabilizer & elevator had several areas of deformation. Surface winds in the area were from 270 deg at 22 gusting 28 KTS. Peak surface winds were from 290 deg at 42 KTS. Standing lenticular clouds were reported topping the mountains & SIGMET juliet 4 was in effect cautioning occasional severe turbulence below 16,000 ft MSL.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99965
- Reported as
- Let L-13
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 025918
- Airframe hours
- 613
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Aquarian Soaring
- Registered owner
- William A. Koml
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 25, 1982 · 58 hours before
- Departed
- L71 · California City, CA
- Airport
- L71 · California City Muni
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 100 in this make and model · 4,800 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 22 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- WJF, 18 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.