Let BLANIK L-13 accident near Barstow, California, June 19, 1999
On June 19, 1999 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Let BLANIK L-13 (glider), registered N136AS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Barstow, California. 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 loss of thermal lift that resulted in a forced landing and the pilot's improper glide path that resulted in a collision with a light pole.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 1999 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Barstow, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Let BLANIK L-13 BLANIK L-1 · all BLANIK L-13s on the register
- Registration
- N136AS · registry record · serial 027017
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a cross-country flight, the pilot of the glider encountered a loss of thermal lift. A forced landing was made to a vacant, unattended, interstate highway rest stop. The rest stop was surrounded by level terrain. During the landing approach, the left wing contacted a light pole, shearing off the wing's outboard 6 feet.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private, student
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 738 hours in all; 561 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 708 as pilot in command; 374 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,491 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 22, 1998; 375 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,101 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DAG Daggett CA at 9:00 pm
- Destination: 0O2 Baker CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°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.
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.