Incident Details
A glider sustained substantial damage during a landing when it ground looped after contacting terrain. The pilot candidate and an FAA examiner, both on board, were uninjured. The accident occurred during a checkride or instructional flight, with the examiner occupying the other seat.
Pilot Statement
The pilot candidate provided a statement describing the sequence of events. According to the candidate, the base leg was turned too soon, resulting in the final turn being too early and too high. The candidate attempted to use a slip to lose altitude but was still too high. After proceeding down the runway, it became evident that the glider would overshoot. At that point, the FAA examiner took control and attempted a 180-degree turn, with a reminder to watch the airspeed. During the turn, the right wing dropped and contacted a bank, causing the glider to ground loop. The glider came to rest facing west. Both occupants then exited and confirmed they were not hurt.
Environmental Conditions
The wind was variable at 6 knots at the time of the accident. No other weather or visibility conditions were specified.
Damage Assessment
The glider sustained substantial damage from the ground loop, though the specific components affected were not detailed in the initial report.