Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the glider during the landing approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with the runway.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
According to the pilot, this was the first flight he made in the glider. He performed the first landing with the engine up and idling, and then during the second time around the traffic pattern, he stowed the engine during the downwind leg. When he turned the glider onto the base leg of the traffic pattern, he realized that he was “coming in high,” so he extended the airbrakes. He thought the glider needed a “little more help” descending, so he put the glider into a side slip. The pilot slipped the glider two more times, and on the third slip, the nose of the glider “dropped,” and it impacted the runway in a nose down position, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the glider revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.