# NTSB NYC99LA215: Let L-33-SOLO, N286BA, Wellington, OH, August 28, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 28, 1999, 13:45 local (17:45 UTC) - Place: Wellington, OH - Coordinates: 41.160366, -82.219902 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.1604&lon=-82.2199&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 30, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 47242 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC99LA215 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/47242/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99LA215 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point. A factor related to the accident was a downdraft. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Undershoot, landing - weather condition - downdraft (contributing factor) - proper touchdown point - not attained, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis The glider was towed to an altitude of 2,000 feet above the ground, and released. The pilot then flew the glider to the base of a cloud in search of a thermal. When the pilot decided to return to the airport, he experienced a downdraft of about 600 feet per minute, which descended the glider to an altitude of about 950 feet. The pilot recalled that the normal sink rate for the glider was about 150 feet per minute. As the glider was landing, it cleared marked wires that were located at the approach end of the runway, and touched down about 100 feet prior to a mowed grass runway area. ## Factual narrative On August 28, 1999, about 1345 Eastern Daylight Time, a Let L-33-Solo, N286BA, was substantially damaged while landing at the Botsford Airport (67D), Wellington, Ohio. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot, the glider was towed 2 miles southwest of 67D, to an altitude of 2,000 feet above the ground, and released. The pilot then flew the glider to the base of a cloud in search of a thermal. The cloud was about 600 feet above the glider, when the pilot decided to return to the airport. Upon return to the airport area, the pilot experienced a downdraft of about 600 feet per minute, which descended the glider to an altitude of about 950 feet. The pilot recalled that the normal sink rate for the glider was about 150 feet per minute. An approach to Runway 36, a 2,850 foot long grass runway, was performed. The glider cleared marked wires that were located at the approach end of the runway, and touched down about 100 feet prior to a mowed grass runway area. The touch down site was composed of 18-inch tall clover and weeds. The right wing dug into the ground and rotated the glider 180 degrees to the right. During the rotation, the tail section of the glider contacted the ground, which buckled the fuselage. The glider came to rest upright, facing south. The weather reported at an airport located 20 miles to the northeast, at 1354 was, winds from 270 degrees at 9 knots, 6 miles of visibility with haze, few clouds at 3,800 feet, scattered clouds at 13,000 feet, broken layer of clouds at 25,000 feet. The temperature was 82 degrees Fahrenheit. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N286BA](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N286BA-2011-07-14), registration cancelled 2011-07-14, S/N 940313, built 1995 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Let L-33-SOLO - Registry model: [Let L 33 SOLO](https://openairdocs.org/model/let-l-33-solo) (registry code 1360309) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (registry code 99999) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Glider - Serial number: 940313 - Airframe hours: 140 - Engines: unknown - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Windsor Aviation Corp - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 3, 1999, 140 hours before - Departed: 67D - Airport: 67D, Botsford Airport, runway 36, 2,850 × 100 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 71; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: front; flight hours: 460 total, 13 in this make and model, 444 as pilot in command ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 270° at 9 knots - Visibility: 6 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 25,000 ft broken - Temperature: 82 °F, dew point 70 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: CLE, 22 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19990828025349A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990828025349A), Aug 28, 1999: Let L33SOLO, Wellington, OH, Substantial damage. (.19) On August 28, 1999, about 1345 eastern daylight time, a Let L-33-solo, N286BA, was substantially damaged while landing at the Botsford Airport (67D),… ## Other investigations on N286BA (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ERA11LA234](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA11LA234), Apr 10, 2011: Let L 33 Solo (N286BA), New Castle, VA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: Pilot incapacitation shortly after takeoff for unknown reasons. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.