- Date
- April 1, 1989, 15:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hemet, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N82756Let L-13
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 19, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890401005969A
- Case key
- 26366
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
Inadequate crew coordination between the ground lineman and the blanik pilot, and failure of the blanik pilot to maintain clearance between his aircraft and the parked glider. A factor related to the accident was the proximity of the parked glider to the runway.
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 rgt wing of blanik L-13, N82756, hit the left wing of another glider (LS-1), which was parked near the rgt edge of the rwy, as the blanik was starting to be launched behind a tow plane. According to the wing walker, he had hooked the tow rope to the blanik & was lifting the (rgt) wing, when he realized the LS-1 was too close to the rwy. He said he put the wing down & shouted for a release as he had been taught, but the blanik plt fanned the rudder to signal the tow plt for the launch to begin. According to the blanik plt, the wing walker had raised the wing (a signal to bgn the launch), then tried to stop the launch, but did not use the proper 'cut' signal. Subsequently, the launch began & the blanik veered slightly rgt & hit the LS-1 before the blanik plt released the tow rope.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82756
- Reported as
- Let L-13
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 025511
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sailplane Enterprise
- Registered owner
- Pearson, Russell O.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Airport
- HMT · Hemet-Ryan, runway 22, 2,045 × 20 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 71
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 625 total · 58 in this make and model · 625 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.