What happened
A flight was being conducted for the purpose of familiarizing a second pilot with a new type of glider that he had not previously flown. The first pilot involved in the flight was authorized to perform checkouts on behalf of a private flying club.
The tow plane released the glider approximately 2 miles from the departure airport at an altitude of 2,000 feet agl. About 15 minutes later, the pilot of another glider observed the aircraft from roughly 4 miles away. The observer noted the sun glistening off the wings as the aircraft was spinning in a nose low attitude. The glider completed approximately three turns before impacting the ground. There were no injuries reported.
The investigation
An examination of the wreckage was performed. The inspection did not reveal any evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of the aircraft.