Let L-33-SOLO accident near Wellington, Ohio, August 28, 1999
On August 28, 1999 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Let L-33-SOLO (glider), registered N286BA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wellington, Ohio (Botsford 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 pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point. A factor related to the accident was a downdraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1999 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Wellington, Ohio · Botsford 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
- N286BA · registry record · serial 940313
- 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 to an altitude of 2,000 feet above the ground, and released. The pilot then flew the glider to the base of a cloud in search of a thermal. When the pilot decided to return to the airport, he experienced a downdraft of about 600 feet per minute, which descended the glider to an altitude of about 950 feet. The pilot recalled that the normal sink rate for the glider was about 150 feet per minute. As the glider was landing, it cleared marked wires that were located at the approach end of the runway, and touched down about 100 feet prior to a mowed grass runway area.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 460 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 444 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 140 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 3, 1999; 140 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 67D at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,850 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from CLE, 22 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.
Other NTSB records under N286BA 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.