Accident Sequence
During the landing approach, the pilot reported that when the glider was adjacent to the intended touchdown point, he 'took out some of the spoilers to decrease sink [rate].' After initiating a left turn to base leg, he realized that the 'altitude was still much too great and attempted to deploy full spoilers.' However, ground observers noted that 'no spoilers were deployed; rather, the flaps appeared to have been extended instead.'
On final approach, the pilot lowered the nose to try to touch down on the runway, and the aircraft 'porpoised' due to the 'excessive' speed. Approximately 50 feet from the departure end of the runway and less than 15 feet above ground level, the pilot 'lifted the plane off the ground to avoid hitting the property fence and crossing Highway 290.' He flew the glider over the highway and forced it to the ground in a dirt parking lot. The glider came to a stop after hitting a metal building. It also struck a neutral power line during the landing to the parking lot.
Aircraft Description
The accident aircraft was a Blanik L-13 glider. In this model, the handle for the spoilers is located directly underneath the handle used to deploy the flaps. The pilot stated that 'in concentrating on other factors during landing, it appears that I pulled the wrong lever.'
Pilot Information
The pilot was a private pilot rated student with a total of 7 hours of glider time.