Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's excessive speed as he turned off the runway.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
After making a normal approach and landing, the pilot applied wheel brakes and noted normal deceleration. As he exited the runway onto the taxiway he applied more braking, but once he was clear of the active runway he felt that the glider wasn't decelerating as rapidly as he had planned. The pilot stated "…I applied full braking, including pumping the brake. I continued to use max braking, including digging the nose skid in as hard as I could and attempted to dampen the inevitable blow as best as possible." The glider subsequently impacted the door of one hangar with its nose bowl and a second hangar with its left wing, which resulted in substantial damage to the glider.
Source record
Factual narrative
After making a normal approach and landing, the pilot applied wheel brakes and noted normal deceleration. As he exited the runway onto the taxiway he applied more braking, but once he was clear of the active runway he felt that the glider wasn't decelerating as rapidly as he had planned. The pilot stated "…I applied full braking, including pumping the brake. I continued to use max braking, including digging the nose skid in as hard as I could and attempted to dampen the inevitable blow as best as possible." The glider subsequently impacted the door of one hangar with its nose bowl and a second hangar with its left wing, which resulted in substantial damage to the glider.