- Date
- June 26, 1993, 18:00 local (Jun 27, 1993, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Enumclaw, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N82ASLet Blanik L-13
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 17, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930626020779A
- Case key
- 41723
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 pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point. Factors to the accident were: lack of familiarity with geographic area and the grass.
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
At the end of a local familiarization flight, the glider landed approximately 300 feet from the end of the runway. During the landing roll, the left wing contacted the tall grass near the runway edges and spun the glider to the left. The right wing contacted the surface and the glider came to rest 90 degrees from the runway heading. Normal procedures for landing is to land 500 feet or more down the runway to avoid the tall grass near the approach end. The second pilot on board the glider reported that while on final approach, he told the pilot in command to land further down the runway.
Factual narrative
On June 26, 1993, at 1800 hours Pacific daylight time, a LET Blanik L 13, N82AS, collided with the terrain during the landing roll at a private airstrip near Enumclaw, Washington. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The glider was substantially damaged and both certificated private pilots were not injured.
The second pilot reported that he was asked to fly with the pilot in command to familiarize the pilot in command with the area. The second pilot sat in the rear seat, while the pilot in command was in the front seat and in control of the flight controls for the entire flight.
After the flight, a landing was set up to the east. The glider touched down approximately 300 feet from the end of the runway. During the landing roll, the left wing caught in the tall grass next to the runway and the glider spun to the left and skidded a short distance. The right wing contacted the surface and the glider came to rest approximately 90 degrees from the runway heading.
The second pilot reported that touchdown is normally made at 500 feet down the runway where the grass is always kept short. The second pilot reported that he did mention this to the pilot in command while on final approach.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82AS
- Reported as
- Let Blanik L-13 (BLANIK L-1)
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 26651
- Engine
- unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Puget Sound Soaring Assoc.
- Registered owner
- Puget Sound Soaring Assoc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Airport
- Private, runway 9, 1,000 × 50 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
- Certificate
- Private
- Seat
- Front
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F
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 N82AS · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.