Accident Narrative
At approximately 1625, a tow plane departed with a glider in tow to retrieve a Club glider from another airport. Upon arrival at the destination airport, the glider pilot released from the tow plane and entered the downwind leg for runway 22. While established on a right base for runway 22, the pilot encountered a down draft and decided that landing on runway 22 was no longer feasible. He then executed a steep right turn to attempt a landing on runway 31. However, he was unable to level the wings despite applying full left aileron, and the right wing struck the ground.
Witness Statement
A witness observed the glider flying the base leg on the far side of runway 31. When the glider turned final, it developed a sink rate.
Pilot Information
The pilot had obtained a prerecorded weather briefing around 0930, which indicated that VFR flight was not recommended due to an expected frontal passage that afternoon. The pilot estimated the winds at the time of the accident were from 230 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 20 knots. During the previous 5-1/2 months, the pilot had logged only 2 landings and a total of 1 hour and 27 minutes in gliders.