- Date
- May 18, 1984, 12:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- El Mirage, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3204FLet L-13
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840518019889A
- Case key
- 24266
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
The glider plt reported that after a release from the tow line, he had difficulty finding lift. He concentrated on finding lift so much that he became disoriented with respect to the rwy. When he elected to return to the arpt, he inadvertently selected a narrow strip used by ultralight vehicles. The plt stated that after landing, he swerved to avoid a tree & the glider's tail struck the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3204F
- Reported as
- Let L-13
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 026525
- Airframe hours
- 1,747
- Engine
- None NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Nevin R. Gilbert
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 26, 1983 · 61 hours before
- Airport
- Pleasant Valley, runway 5, 4,000 × ft, dirt
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 233 total · 15 in this make and model · 179 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LUF, 17 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.