- Date
- June 3, 2023, 14:05 local (21:05 UTC)
- Place
- Minden, NV · On airport property
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N438BALet L-23 Super Blanik
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 193470
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 maintain directional control during the landing roll, resulting in an impact with a taxiway sign.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the glider reported that while on downwind, the tow airplane maneuvered to avoid another aircraft, which resulted in a slack tow line. The tow line subsequently broke, and the glider pilot initiated a landing to a nearby runway from about 900 ft above ground level (agl). During the landing roll, the glider drifted right, and the right wing impacted a taxiway sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N438BA
- Reported as
- Let L-23 Super Blanik
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 029016
- Built
- 2002
- Airframe hours
- 2,612.9
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Civil Air Patrol
- Registered owner
- Civil Air Patrol
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 26, 2023
- Airport
- MEV · Minden-Tahoe, runway 34, 7,395 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 85
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Last flight review
- March 24, 2023
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,475 total · 13 in this make and model · 6 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 5 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KMEV
- METAR
- METAR KMEV 032115Z AUTO 21005KT 10SM CLR 25/01 A3006 RMK AO2=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 21, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.2 MB in all.