Let L 23 SUPER BLANIK accident near Moose, WY
On June 9, 2018, a Let L 23 SUPER BLANIK (glider) was involved in an accident near Moose, WY. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 9, 2018
- Place
- Moose, WY
- Aircraft
- Let L 23 SUPER BLANIK · Glider
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 43.725°N, 110.819°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180611X95129
Official records · CEN18FA217
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 9, 2018, about 1115 mountain daylight time, a LET L-23 glider, N317BA, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Moose, Wyoming. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The glider was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 sightseeing flight. The glider was operated by Teton Aviation Center (TAC), based at Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport (DIJ), Driggs, Idaho. The accident flight was a sightseeing flight to view the Teton Range . The operator reported that a sightseeing flight was typically about 1 hour in duration; the first 30 minutes was conducted under tow before the glider released and spent the remaining 30 minutes gliding back to DIJ. The tour predominately flew over the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, encompassing both Idaho and Wyoming. The tow pilot reported that he and the glider pilot discussed the planned route and briefed safe altitudes for the flight, and then completed the preflight duties for the glider together. After departing from DIJ, the tow airplane and glider proceeded south and climbed to 11,000 ft mean sea level (msl) and turned west toward Darby Canyon. The aircraft arrived at the foothills of Darby Canyon at 11,500 ft msl and the tow pilot reported that "there wasn't much lift." They then flew east toward the boundary of Grand Teton National Park, gaining "a little lift" off the various ridgelines. The tow pilot reported that, prior to reaching the park boundary, they flew north, paralleling the Teton Range, and were "slowly climbing." About 3 miles west of the South Teton pea
Probable cause
The pilot's encounter with atmospheric conditions that resulted in a loss of lift and a subsequent loss of control near terrain that precluded recovery. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to follow the operator's published tour flight procedures regarding flight over the national park and minimum altitudes over and distance from terrain.
More accidents in WY
- Pilatus Aircraft Ltd PC-12/47E, Jul 26, 2024
- Cessna 441, Aug 29, 1986
- Cessna 182A, Mar 13, 2016
- Cessna T310R, Jul 18, 2015
- Piper PA-32R-301T, Oct 9, 2012
Browse: Wyoming · Let aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
