BFO94LA074

Factual narrative

On Saturday, April 23, 1994, about 1410 eastern daylight time, a Let-13-13 glider, N2167, collided with trees during final approach to Plymouth Airport, at Plymouth, Massachusetts. The certificated private pilot and his passenger were not injured. The glider sustained substantial damage. The local flight was being operated by Plymouth Aviation Soaring and was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. According to the pilot, during the turn from base to final, "...a high gust of wind drove my right wing up and over into a spin. I initiated recovery procedure and leveled off about 20' above the trees...I realized I couldn't go anywhere at that altitude, picked a hole in the trees [and] flew to it and pancaked in." The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions prior to the accident. He reported the accident could have been prevented if his airspeed was 55 mph instead of 45 mph. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN TURNING FROM BASE TO FINAL WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED A WIND GUST. HE STATED THE WIND '...BLEW MY RIGHT WING UP AND OVER INTO A SPIN.' HE RECOVERED ABOUT 20 FEET ABOVE TREE TOPS, BUT HE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH ALTITUDE TO REACH THE AIRPORT AND THE GLIDER STRUCK TREES. THE PILOT REPORTED THE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF HE 'CARRIED MORE SPEED.' Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12