Flight Details
The commercial pilot was completing the third leg of a soaring 300 km triangle. The glider owner, who was in contact with the pilot via radio, reported that the pilot stated he had the field in sight approximately 8 miles from the airport. The glider entered the traffic pattern for runway 15.
Accident Sequence
While turning base, the glider was observed by the owner to enter a spin. A witness reported that the glider banked, "appeared to have stalled, and spiraled counter-clockwise" in a nose low attitude into the ground. Another witness, located approximately a block from the accident site, stated that she "looked up and saw the glider spinning counter clockwise very fast and falling nose first." The glider impacted the ground and came to rest approximately 1/4 mile from the approach end of runway.
Pilot Information
The pilot had accumulated approximately 270 total glider flight hours and 5 flight hours in the same make and model as the accident aircraft.
Aircraft Examination
No pre-impact anomalies were noted with the glider during the examination.