N273BA – LET L-23 SUPER BLANIK – 2012-06-28 NTSB Accident Report

On June 28, 2012, a Let L-23 SUPER BLANIK (N273BA) was involved in an accident near Benton, TN. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's inadvertent extension of the wing airbrakes, which resulted in a loss of lift and subsequent landing prior to the runway.

The pilot was landing the glider at the conclusion of her third solo flight. She stated that on the base leg of the airport traffic pattern, the glider was “lower and further away” from the runway than she intended. She "set" the airbrakes, turned onto the final leg of the traffic pattern, and the glider began to sink. The glider subsequently impacted terrain short of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing spar and rear cockpit bulkhead. A postaccident examination of the glider revealed no evidence of preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The airbrakes were found fully deployed after the accident.

This accident is documented in NTSB report ERA12CA454. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N273BA.