Let BLANIK L-13 accident near Mulberry, Florida, December 22, 1996
On December 22, 1996 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Let BLANIK L-13 (glider), registered N48052, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mulberry, Florida. 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 pilot's failure to check that the spoiler handle was locked in the retracted position prior to takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 1996 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Mulberry, Florida · map
- 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
- N48052 · registry record · serial 026103
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot did not verify the spoiler handle was locked in the retracted position prior to takeoff. The spoiler handle was not locked and the spoilers deployed shortly after takeoff. The pilot did not hear the tow pilot and ground personnel radio transmissions informing him his spoilers were extended. The pilot noticed they were flying slow and thought the tow aircraft was having problems. When the tow pilot moved his rudder to signal him about the spoilers being extended he released from the tow plane. The glider descended rapidly and he realized the spoilers were extended. He retracted the spoilers but did not have enough altitude to make it back to the airport. The glider collided with a tree and came to rest in the tree.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 320 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 260 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 920 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1996; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X49 at 6:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:58 pm from LAL, 5 miles away
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.