Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s loss of situational awareness (geographic position), which resulted in his inability to locate the intended landing runway and his decision to perform an off-airport landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot, who held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating, was transitioning to flying gliders and had about 27 hours of glider flying experience at the time of the accident. On the afternoon of the accident flight he had completed two instructional flights before being signed off for his first solo flight. After departing on the solo flight, the pilot released the glider from the tow airplane at the planned altitude of 2,000 ft above ground level (agl). The pilot knew he was about 2 miles from the departure airport, but he was having difficulty locating the turf runway due to the glare of the setting sun. After descending to about 1,100 ft agl, and still not being able to locate the runway, he selected a corn field for an off-airport landing. The glider’s fuselage and right wing were substantially damaged during the subsequent landing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the glider that would have precluded normal operation.