Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The loss of thermal lift that resulted in a forced landing and the pilot's improper glide path that resulted in a collision with a light pole.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On June 19, 1999, at 1500 hours Pacific daylight time, a Blanik L-13, N136AS, collided with ground obstructions during a off-field landing 38 miles east of Barstow, California. The glider, operated by Antelope Valley Soaring Club, Canoga Park, California, sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot, and sole occupant, was not injured. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight departed from a private airstrip at 1230. Visual meteorological conditions existed and no flight plan was filed.
In a written statement by the pilot, he was on a cross-country flight to Baker, California, and encountered a loss of lift, which made it impossible to make it to an airport. The glider was over level terrain and the pilot selected an off-field landing point located in a rest area along interstate I-15. The glider impacted a pole during the landing, causing the left wing to separate from the glider. The rest area was closed and no one was present at the time of the accident.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX99LA228