Let BLANIK N48026

Summary

On 4 October 2008 at about 18:15 local time, a Let BLANIK registered N48026 was involved in an accident near Gardner, Kansas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 October 2008 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Gardner, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Gardner Municipal Airport (K34)

Coordinates

38.8011, -94.9553

Aircraft

Let BLANIK

Registration

N48026

Category

Glider

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gardner → Gardner

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

CEN09CA007

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's decision to attempt a takeoff when the climb performance of the tow plane and the glider were inadequate. Contributing to the accident were the high density altitude and the terrain-induced turbulence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a normal aero-tow takeoff in a glider from runway 21, a 2,154-foot-long turf runway. The tow plane pilot and the glider pilot reported that they both became airborne at approximately 40 knots. Both pilots released the tow rope at the end of the runway when it became obvious that the climb performance of the glider and the tow plane was insufficient to accelerate or to climb out of ground effect. The glider then crashed into the fence at the end of the runway. Weather at the time of the accident was 10 miles visibility, clear of clouds, winds from 150 degrees at 9 knots, with a temperature of 74 degrees and dew point of 57 degrees. Density altitude was calculated as 2,260 feet. Other pilots familiar with this airport report that often in crosswind operations there is induced turbulence from the trees along left side of the departure end of runway 21.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.