Let L-23 accident near Jacksonville, Florida, July 15, 1999
On July 15, 1999 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Let L-23 (glider), registered N254BA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jacksonville, Florida (Herlong airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper in-flight decisions allowing the glider to descend to a low altitude, resulting in a forced landing off the airport and subsequent impact with a tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 1999 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, Florida · Herlong · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Let L-23 · all L-23s on the register
- Registration
- N254BA · registry record · serial 917803
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The glider was towed about 5 miles north of the departure airport to an altitude of about 2,300 feet above ground level (agl). After soaring for about 20 minutes, the pilot decided to return to the airport. When the flight was about 5 miles from the airport at 1,600 feet agl, the pilot said, '...he encountered heavy sink, of about 400 to 500 feet per minute.' He elected to performed a 180 degree turn to reach a field for landing, but could not reach the intended landing area. He elected to stall into a tree to avoid homes.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,264 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 3,187 as pilot in command; 285 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 170 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 1999; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,124 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 23J at 5:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from JAX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N254BA 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.