Let L-23 SUPER BLANIK accident near Ridgeland, South Carolina, September 6, 2025
On September 6, 2025 at about 8:15 pm local time, a 1993 Let L-23 SUPER BLANIK (glider), registered N231LS, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Ridgeland, South Carolina (Ridgeland-Claude Dean airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s exceedance of the glider’s critical angle of attack which resulted in a loss of control while maneuvering to return for landing after a runway overshoot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2025 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Ridgeland, South Carolina · Ridgeland-Claude Dean · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Let L-23 SUPER BLANIK, built 1993 · all L-23 SUPER BLANIKs on the register
- Registration
- N231LS · registry record · serial 938020
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting her second solo flight in pursuit of a glider rating for her private pilot certificate. The pilot stated that while in the airport traffic pattern, she was too high on the base leg and made several 360° turns near the south end of the runway in an attempt to lose altitude. After leveling off, she realized she was still too high and entered a slip without the use of the spoilers, but the glider floated toward the departure end of the runway. With little runway remaining, she attempted a right turn, but the left wing dropped, consistent with an aerodynamic stall, and contacted the ground. The glider came to rest upright in a grassy area near the end of the runway. The fuselage and left wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Landing area overshoot during landing
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 401 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 345 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 15, 2025
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,036 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 2, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 1,124 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: Lowcountry Soaring Association
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,600 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from ARW, 19 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KARW 062035Z AUTO 14006KT 10SM CLR 31/22 A2997 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on April 30, 2026. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigative Photo | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | 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 N231LS 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.