Let L 23 SUPER BLANIK accident near Clermont, Florida, September 15, 2013
On September 15, 2013 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1998 Let L 23 SUPER BLANIK (glider), registered N321BA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Clermont, Florida (Seminole Lake airport). It was a personal 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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2013 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Clermont, Florida · Seminole Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Let L 23 SUPER BLANIK NO SERIES, built 1998 · all L 23 SUPER BLANIKs on the register
- Registration
- N321BA · registry record · serial 988407
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was landing the glider on runway 36, a 3,000-foot-long, 200-foot-wide, turf runway. During the landing roll, the glider veered off the right side of the runway and struck a gazebo, which resulted in substantial damage to glider's right wing and fuselage. The student pilot did not reside in the United States and subsequently returned to his country of residence. The accident was reported to the NTSB by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector about 4 months later. Efforts to contact the student pilot were unsuccessful. The student pilot's total flight experience, and flight experience in the airplane make and model, could not be determined. According to an FAA inspector, there were no known or reported mechanical malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. Winds reported at an airport located about 21 miles south of the accident site, around the time of the accident, were from 110 degrees at 10 knots.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Ground collision during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 99,999 hours in all; 99,999 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,508 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 8, 2013
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Seminole Flying & Soaring INC
The flight
- Departed from: 6FL0 Clermont FL
- Destination: 6FL0 Clermont FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from GIF, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 18, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - Telephone Interview, FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N321BA 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.