Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
New Mexico Soaring Ranch Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Edgewood, New Mexico 87015
Saturday, May 26, 1984 12:10 MDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE ACFT APPEARED TO BE TOO HIGH, TOO FAST, AND IN A CRAB AS IT APPROACHED THE RWY. OVER THE RWY THE GLIDER WAS OBSERVED TO ROLL INTO A RIGHT TURN AS THE NOSE CAME UP. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE RIGHT WING STRUCK 3 PARKED ACFT AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. DURING AN INTERVIEW ON THE EVENING OF THE ACCIDENT THE PILOT STATED THAT DUE TO A HIGH FAST APCH HE ATTEMPTED A RIGHT 270 DEGREE TURN IN ORDER TO LAND TO THE NORTH, JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT SUBMITTED ON 6-25-84 THE PILOT REFERS TO CONTROL INPUTS FROM THE PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT CAUSING THE ABNORMAL APPROACH AND AN UNCOMMANDED NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE JUST BEFORE COLLISION WITH THE PARKED GLIDER. THE PILOTS LOGS REFLECT 3 HRS IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL GLIDER. HE STATED THAT HE HAD FLOWN SIMILIAR GLIDERS IN THE LATE 1960'S AND HAD ABOUT 3.5 TOTAL HRS IN THE ACFT. HE FURTHER REPORTED TO INVESTIGATORS THAT HE WAS USED TO FLYING ANOTHER GLIDER IN WHICH 90 DEGREE FLAPS ALLOWED STEEPER APPROACHES AND MORE RAPID DESCENTS.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/26/1984 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1210 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Daylight Time |
| Event City | EDGEWOOD |
| Event State | NEW MEXICO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 87015 |
| Event Date Year | 1984 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | NEW MEXICO SOARING RANCH |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 6530 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1152 Mountain Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 252 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ABQ |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 5332 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 27 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 50 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 26 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 2 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 210 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 9 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 8960 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2236 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 26156 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 9:15AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N48032 |
| NTSB Number | DEN84FA161 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | LET |
| Aircraft Model | L-13 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | L-13 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 026035 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1102 |
| Aircraft Category | Glider |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | -- |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | May 10 1984 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 9 |
| Airframe Hours | 1245 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ETCHISON G. LILL |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 1076 |
| Aircraft Owner City | EDGEWOOD |
| Aircraft Owner State | NM |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 87105 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | NEW MEXICO SOARING RANCH |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | EDGEWOOD |
| Departure State | NM |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1145 |
| Departure Time Zone | MDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 9 |
| Runway Length | 5280 |
| Runway Width | 400 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |