Let Super Blanik L-23 accident near Warren, Vermont, June 27, 2007
On June 27, 2007 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Let Super Blanik L-23 (glider), registered N8022, was substantially damaged in an accident near Warren, Vermont (Warren-Sugarbush airport). It was an instructional 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 glider's inadvertent encounter with windshear. A factor was the outflow from a nearby thunderstorm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 2007 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Warren, Vermont · Warren-Sugarbush · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Let Super Blanik L-23
- Registration
- N8022 · no longer on the register · serial 938022
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The LET Super Blanik L23 flight instructor and a student pilot were towed to 2,700 feet above the airport, where the student pilot performed a series of maneuvers. Afterwards, the student pilot descended the glider toward a midfield downwind entry, about 1,500 feet above the airport. While descending, turbulence from an approaching rain shower increased, so the flight instructor took the controls. The flight instructor flew the remainder of the downwind leg, followed by a base leg, at 70 knots with full spoilers deployed since the glider would not descend. Turning onto final, while heading into the wind, the glider experienced an "extremely strong" sink rate, from which, the flight instructor could not recover. The glider subsequently landed hard about 100 feet short of the runway causing substantial damage. Shortly after the landing, light rain fell on the airport, and there was thunder in the distance. Ten minutes later, there was lightning 2 miles southeast of the airport, and the winds dropped and remained at less than 10 knots the rest of the afternoon. The flight instructor reported over 9,600 hours of flight time with 3,700 hours as a pilot in command of gliders.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 9,610 hours in all; 1,800 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0B7 Warren VT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,300 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 pm from MPV, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.