LAX07CA104

The pilot's misjudged distance/altitude and delay in retracting the spoilers that led to an undershoot, which resulted in a collision with terrain.

The glider touched down short of the runway and ground looped during landing. The pilot returned to the airport after he couldn't find any lift. He encountered some sink on his base and final legs. He felt that he didn't retract his spoilers soon enough to prevent his landing just short of the paved runway. The glider ground looped, which broke off the tail boom. The pilot made a recommendation regarding prevention of the accident. He noted that this was an uneventful day, which could lull one into not paying full attention to all phases of flight. The runway was more than long enough to allow him to land 1/4 of the way down the runway, which would have provided a much larger safety margin for his landing.

On March 11, 2007, about 1500 Pacific daylight time, a Schleicher ASW-27B, N273W, ground looped during landing at Williams, California. The pilot/owner was operating the glider under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot was not injured; the glider sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight departed Williams about 1415. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot stated in a written report that he returned to the airport after he couldn't find any lift. He encountered some sink on his base and final legs. He felt that he didn't retract his spoilers soon enough to prevent his landing just short of the paved runway. The glider ground looped, which broke off the tail boom. The pilot made a recommendation regarding prevention of the accident. He noted that this was an uneventful day, which could fool one into not paying full attention to all phases of flight. The runway was more than long enough to allow him to land 1/4 of the way down the runway, which would have provided a much larger safety margin for his landing.