N12YA

On September 02, 2006, a Let Blanik L-13 (N12YA) was involved in an incident near Hampshire, IL. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's inadequate approach for landing and his failure to attain a proper descent rate.

The glider sustained substantial damage when it ground looped and skidded to a stop while landing at a grass airstrip. The pilot reported that after releasing from the tow airplane at 3,000 feet above ground level (agl), no thermal lift was encountered so he returned to the airstrip for landing. He reported that he experienced a sink rate that "seemed very excessive" during the downwind leg. He "cut the pattern short" and turned onto the base leg, which resulted in the glider being high on the base leg. The pilot reported that he deployed the spoilers, but he was slow to retract the spoilers due to the "heavy force required to push the handle forward." The glider lost altitude.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CHI06CA252. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N12YA.