Let BLANIK L-13 N62345
9 August 2008 · Bend, Oregon, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 9 August 2008 at about 20:30 local time, a Let BLANIK L-13 registered N62345 was involved in an accident near Bend, Oregon, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Bend, Oregon, United States
- Nearest airport
- Bend Municipal (BDN)
- Coordinates
- 44.0944, -121.2003
- Aircraft
- Let BLANIK L-13
- Registration
- N62345
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Bend → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX08CA262
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's misjudged distance/altitude which resulted in an undershoot while on final approach to land. Factors contributing to the accident were the lack of thermal lift (sinking air), and the lack of suitable terrain for the off-airport landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot of the glider reported that he was taking a new glider club member for an introductory flight. He stated that the flight was "normal with good lift," and he was never more than 3 miles from the airport. On final approach about 3/4 miles from the runway threshold, the pilot felt the glider sink and noted that he was becoming too low to reach the runway. The terrain off the end of the runway was covered with juniper trees and sagebrush. He turned left to land off airport in the "only open spot." The left wing struck a tree, and the right wingtip then struck the ground. The right wing and the fuselage sustained structural damage. The pilot stated that from an altitude of 1,000 feet above ground level this glider "should be able to fly 3 miles, I lost 800 feet in less than 1/2 mile."
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Let BLANIK accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Apr 2008 | Let BLANIK L-13 | Dansville, New York, United States | Finger Lakes Soaring Club | No injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 2008 | Let BLANIK | Gardner, Kansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jul 2008 | Let BLANIK L-13 | Arlington, Washington, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 2009 | Let BLANIK L-13 | Llano, California, United States | Southern California Soaring Academy | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Oct 2007 | Let BLANIK L-13 | Hemet, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Apr 2007 | Let BLANIK L-13 | Llano, California, United States | Henrich G Brigentoff | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Aug 2008 | Boeing BV234 | Burns, Oregon, United States | Columbia Helicopters Leasing | No injuries | - |
| 28 Aug 2008 | Mason FALCONAR F-11 | Creswell, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jun 2008 | Robinson R-22 BETA | Philomath, Oregon, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 2008 | Wasson Loehle LOEHLE P-40 | Oregon City, Oregon, United States | John Wasson | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 May 2008 | Beechcraft B19 | Burns, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 May 2008 | Diamond DA-40 | Lakeview, Oregon, United States | Alpine Aviation | No injuries | - |