N48039

On April 8, 1995, at 1700 central daylight time, a Blanik L-13 glider, N48039, collided with the ground while maneuvering for an emergency landing following an aborted takeoff near Brownsboro, Alabama. The training flight operated under provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The glider sustained substantial damage; the flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The flight departed Brownsboro at 1658 hours.

The flight instructor reported that during the takeoff roll, he was occupied assisting the student with the takeoff. He did not realize how much of the runway had been used during the takeoff roll until after the aircraft was in the air. He stated that the student was a large man, and that because of his size, his knee was located immediately under the spoiler handle. The student pilot failed to keep his hand on the spoiler handle to prevent accidental activation of the spoiler, and inadvertently deployed the spoiler with his left knee during takeoff roll as the glider was towed. Before the flight instructor could gain control of the glider, at an altitude of about 80 feet above ground level, the tow aircraft pilot released the glider. The flight instructor attempted to maneuver the glider for a landing, but the left wing collided with the ground.