Let L-33 Solo accident near Louisburg, North Carolina, November 11, 2007
On November 11, 2007 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Let L-33 Solo (glider), registered N284BA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Louisburg, North Carolina (Ball 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight's encounter with an area of no thermal lift. Contributing factors to the accident were the pilot's inadvertent selection of unsuitable terrain with a hidden obstruction.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 2007 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Louisburg, North Carolina · Ball Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Let L-33 Solo · all L-33 Solos on the register
- Registration
- N284BA · registry record · serial 940312
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After being towed to an altitude of 1,800 feet, the pilot of the LET L-33 Solo glider released the towline and began "thermaling" to the northwest of the airport. After flying for approximately 11 nautical miles uneventfully, the pilot turned back to the airport. Then while thermaling on the return leg, the glider lost altitude due to the "lift conditions," and the pilot performed an off-field landing. After touching down in a hay field, the glider struck a grass covered culvert and was substantially damaged.
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: 74 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 52 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,115 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 724 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine:; 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 79NC Louisburg NC at 4:47 pm
- Destination: 79NC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
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.