Let Blanik L-13 accident near Morgan, Utah, October 3, 2002
On October 3, 2002 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Let Blanik L-13 (glider), registered N99805, was destroyed in an accident near Morgan, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate inflight planning and decision which resulted in an unsuitable off-field landing site. A contributing factor was downdraft weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 3, 2002 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Morgan, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Let Blanik L-13 · all Blanik L-13s on the register
- Registration
- N99805 · registry record · serial 026509
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he flew to an area 6 miles northwest of the airport, where he experienced "very little lift and lots of sinking air." He continued to the south in search of lift, and after finding none, made a decision to return to the airport and land. As his sink rate continued to increase, he decided to land in a farm field. During landing, he flew under a power line to avoid striking it, and caught the left wing tip on the top line of a barbed wire fence. The glider collided with a mound of dirt. The glider's owner said the field prior to the one the pilot landed in, was shorter in length, but had a paved parking lot. At the end of this field, was a gravel pit with dirt piled 8 to 10 feet high, and a fence separating the two fields. According to an FAA inspector, the pilot bypassed a predeveloped subdivision that included approximately 3,000 feet of paved, straight roadway. The inspector also said the pilot had about 300 acres of open land in which to choose a suitable landing area. According to the owner and the FAA inspector, the glider impacted the pile of dirt, hit the top of a fence, impacted the roadway, and traveled across the roadway and through another fence. The glider sustained damage to the horizontal stabilizer and elevator, and the leading edges of both wings. The spar was broken in the right wing, and the main keel of the fuselage was broken.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 710 hours in all
- Last flight review: October 31, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 510 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 20, 2002; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,102 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 42U Morgan UT at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 9 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from HIF, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N99805 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN03LA001.