Let L13 N66FL
1 August 2009 · Sparta, New York, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 1 August 2009 at about 19:50 local time, a Let L13 registered N66FL, operated by David V. Vanderlinden, was involved in an accident near Sparta, New York, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. 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 19:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Sparta, New York, United States
- Coordinates
- 42.5609, -77.6896
- Aircraft
- Let L13
- Registration
- N66FL
- Category
- Glider
- Operator
- David V. Vanderlinden
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Dansville → Dansville
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA09CA434
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The student pilot's failure to maintain airspeed resulting in an aerodynamic stall.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The student pilot encountered a thermal lift, and climbed to 3,000 feet. He stated in a statement to law enforcement personnel, "I got myself into a spin that I was not sure how to get out of." He further stated, "Somehow I was able to get myself out of that, and was headed back to the airport. This is where it gets vague to me. I think I started into another spin." Another glider pilot who departed 10 to 15 minutes before the student pilot stated he observed the glider about a 1,000 feet or less below him spinning to the left. He made a 360 degree turn looking for the glider and could not see it and figured the pilot recovered from the spin and flew away. Examination of the glider by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed the glider collided with the ground in a nose down left wing attitude. The forward cabin area received structural damage, the left wing was pushed aft and the right wing was accelerated forward. The flaps on both wings were extended. The Pilot's Notes for the L-13 Sailplane states, the glider will stall at 30 knots with the flaps extended. No anomalies were noted with the airframe or flight controls.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Let L13 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Mar 2006 | Let L13 AC BLANIK | Zephyrhills, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Oct 2019 | Let L13 | Enumclaw, Washington, United States | Puget Sound Soaring Association Inc | No injuries | - |
| 17 Oct 1988 | Let L13 | Warren, Vermont, United States | Thomas MC Whirter | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Jun 2009 | Teratorn TIERRA | Cutchogue, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Dec 2009 | Cessna 208B | Rome, New York, United States | Wiggins Airways, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 20 Apr 2009 | Boeing 767 | New York, New York, United States | Royal Air Maroc | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 2009 | Beechcraft E35 | Mount Morris, New York, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Apr 2009 | Cessna 150G | Kingston, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2009 | Piper PA-28R-180 | Scotia, New York, United States | Kolath Airlines LLC | Fatal | 3 |