Let L-13 accident near Buena Vista, Colorado, September 5, 1987
On September 5, 1987 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Let L-13 (glider), registered N38924, was substantially damaged in an accident near Buena Vista, Colorado (Buena Vista airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1987 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Buena Vista, Colorado · Buena Vista · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Let L-13 · all L-13s on the register
- Registration
- N38924 · no longer on the register · serial 025319
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS FERRYING THE GLIDER TO BUENA VISTA, COLORADO & HAD PREVIOUSLY OBTAINED PERMISSION TO LAND ON A CLOSED RWY. AFTER BEING TOWED TO THE BUENA VISTA AREA, HE RELEASED THE GLIDER FROM THE TOW PLANE & FLEW IN THE LOCAL AREA FOR ABOUT 40 MIN. HE THEN DSCNDD & LANDED ON A SOD STRIP BESIDE THE PAVED RWY. WHILE LANDING, HE STEARED THE GLIDER TO THE WEST TO AVOID ACFT THAT HAD BEEN ASSEMBLED & PARKED ON AN APRON. RPRTDLY, HE ALLOWED THE GLIDER TO GET TOO CLOSE TO THE EDGE OF THE STRIP. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE TAIL OF THE GLIDER HIT AN OLD TIRE, DAMAGING THE ELEVATORS & REAR-MOST BULKHEAD OF THE TAIL SECTION.
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: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 93 hours in all; 34 in the last 90 days; 62 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,852 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 6, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,102 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Denver Soaring Council, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 1V5 Boulder CO at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 4,700 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N38924 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.