- Date
- August 4, 1991, 13:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Byron, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N53ASLet L-13
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910804061919A
- Case key
- 27320
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 on ground collision with a hidden ditch not visible to the pilot during the landing roll out phase of a forced landing.
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 pilot said he was returning to the glider port after a local soaring flight due to a lack of lift. During the flight back to the airport the pilot became aware that the rate of descent was too high and the glider would not make the airport runway. The pilot set up to land in a vacant field covered with medium height grass. The glider collided with a ditch during the landing roll out in the field. The ditch was not visible to the pilot until the latter stages of the landing roll out.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53AS
- Reported as
- Let L-13
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 027057
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Ames Soaring Club
- Registered owner
- Ames Soaring Club
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Student
- Flight hours
- 29 total · 23 in this make and model · 14 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N53AS · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.