Lithuanian Factory Of Aviation LAK-12 accident near Woodbine, Maryland, May 11, 1996
On May 11, 1996 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Lithuanian Factory Of Aviation LAK-12 (glider), registered N112LK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Woodbine, Maryland (Woodbine Gliderport 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to fly with inadequate research of forecast weather.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 11, 1996 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Woodbine, Maryland · Woodbine Gliderport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lithuanian Factory Of Aviation LAK-12 · all LAK-12s on the register
- Registration
- N112LK · registry record · serial 6220
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that his weather information was what he had heard on a weather radio in the local area. When he took off there were strong winds with scattered to broken cumulus clouds in the area. Fifteen minutes after being released by the tow airplane, he noticed the 'black wall' of the cold front quickly approaching from the west. He started an immediate descent toward the field. During his approach to the field, he encountered severe turbulence and in order to avoid an extreme crosswind landing, he decided to land diagonally across the runway into the wind. Shortly before touchdown, the pilot encountered a sudden and severe down draft causing his head to hit and break the plexiglass canopy. The glider's right wing tip then hit the ground and the glider did a 360-degree 'ground-loop'.
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: 407 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 54 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 1995; 20 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 1,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 30 knots, gusting 43
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 IAD96LA083.