Let L23 accident near Deatsville, Alabama, July 21, 2017
On July 21, 2017 at about 5:20 pm local time, a 1999 Let L23 (glider), registered N342BA, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Deatsville, Alabama (Wetumpka Muni airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from trees and power lines while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2017 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Deatsville, Alabama · Wetumpka Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Let L23 Super Blan, built 1999 · all L23s on the register
- Registration
- N342BA · no longer on the register · serial 998418
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Chief of Safety for the operator reported that the student pilot was on a solo flight in a glider and on the return leg to the airport when he noticed that he "seemed to be sinking quickly." While talking with his instructor over the radio and scanning for an open field, he decided to land on a street in a nearby neighborhood. While on approach, the glider struck tree tops and then a power line. Subsequently, the glider rolled to the right and the right wing struck the ground. The glider came to rest on the right side of the fuselage and the student pilot exited the glider. The glider sustained substantial damage to both wings and fuselage. The Chief of Safety reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation system about 8 nautical miles from the accident site reported, about the time of the accident, wind calm, temperature 91°F, dew point 75°F, and altimeter setting 30.04 inches of mercury.
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 lift during enroute (descent) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Thermal lifting › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 21 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,008 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 23, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,168 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (none); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 08A Deatsville AL at 5:17 pm
- Destination: 08A Deatsville AL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 4:58 pm from KMXF, 8 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 September 14, 2017. 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 | Photos | 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 N342BA 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.