Let L-13 accident near Belgrade, Montana, June 17, 1999
On June 17, 1999 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Let L-13 (glider), registered N70741, was substantially damaged in an accident near Belgrade, Montana (Gallatin Field). 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 pilot in command's failure to maintain clearance from a parked airplane during his attempt to avoid a person on the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 1999 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Belgrade, Montana · Gallatin Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Let L-13 · all L-13s on the register
- Registration
- N70741 · registry record · serial 27341
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After performing two 360 degree turns on base leg before turning final due to traffic which had not cleared the runway, the glider was cleared to land. Ground control asked him to immediately remove the glider off the north side of the runway upon rolling out. The student was flying the glider at that time. The tow pilot entered the runway in front of the glider and motioned to turn the glider off the runway. The glider flight instructor said that he started to give instructions to the student to put the left wing down to start the turn, but realized they were going too fast to safely make a turn without hitting the tow pilot. The instructor took the controls and tried to make a right turn away from the tow pilot and tow plane, but toward the runway. The wing tip of the glider struck the prop of the tow plane and caused damage to the underside of the glider's wing. The tow pilot noted that he assumed the tower would have told the glider pilot the same instructions he had received. He said he expected the glider pilot to be prepared for his hand signals directing him off of the runway. The tow pilot believed that, not having been briefed by the tower, the glider was landed longer and faster than usual to fit the flight instruction that the student required. The instructor said that while the instructions from the tower were distracting and caused the glider to be low on final, ' I think the communication to the tow pilot (and not the glider) caused the tow pilot to enter the runway and caused the evasive maneuver that contributed to the accident. Despite the confusion a safe landing was underway until that time; I should have rolled out straight ahead and made the tow pilot jump clear and then the collision would have never occurred.'
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,015 hours in all; 97 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,103 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sunbird Aviation, INC
The flight
- Departed from: BZN at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 4,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N70741 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.