What happened
The accident occurred while a glider was conducting an approach for landing at a private airstrip. The pilot reported that the aircraft encountered a high rate of sink during the final phase of flight. In an attempt to arrest the descent and clear obstacles, the pilot retracted both the spoilers and flaps.
Despite these control inputs, the glider failed to gain sufficient altitude. The right wing struck a power line support pole, causing the aircraft to lose structural integrity and fall to the ground immediately after impact.
The investigation
Examination of the accident site confirmed that the glider had impacted a power line support pole. The damage was concentrated on the right wing structure, consistent with the pilot's account of striking the obstacle during the final approach segment.