Let L-13 accident near Boulder City, Nevada, October 12, 1986
On October 12, 1986 at about 8:25 pm local time, a Let L-13 (glider), registered N2NV, suffered minor damage in an accident near Boulder City, Nevada (Boulder City Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 1986 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- Boulder City, Nevada · Boulder City Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Let L-13 · all L-13s on the register
- Registration
- N2NV · no longer on the register · serial 175220
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT A DOWNDRAFT WAS ENCOUNTERED AND AN UNDERSHOOT OCCURRED WHILE ON BASE LEG. A HIGH SINK RATE DEVELOPED AND THE PLT DID NOT TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION SOON ENOUGH. THE ACFT STRUCK THE GROUND, ROLLED A SHORT DISTANCE THROUGH BUSHES, AND ACROSS A TWO FOOT GULLEY BEFORE COMING TO REST. THE PASSENGER STATED THAT THE PLT ENTERED INTO AN INTENTIONAL SPIN WHILE IN THE PRACTICE AREA IN ORDER TO SHOW OFF. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE PLT MADE A RATHER RAPID DESCENT BY THE USE OF SPOILERS THAT EXCEEDED THE LIMITS OF THE VERTICAL SPEED INDICATOR.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,348 hours in all; 1,915 in this make and model; 99 in the last 90 days; 9,539 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,408 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 1, 1986; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,102 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,100 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N2NV 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.