What happened
During the landing approach to the north end of runway 17, the pilot encountered significantly greater sinking air than anticipated. The pilot reported that while a nominal amount of sinking air is typically present near the north end of the runway, the conditions on the day of the incident were much more severe.
As a result of this sink, the glider landed approximately 200 feet short of the runway. The aircraft impacted a three-foot-high berm located next to an irrigation ditch that ran perpendicular to the runway at approximately 50 knots. The impact caused the aircraft to be catapulted over the ditch. To prevent a stall, the pilot immediately nosed the aircraft down. Following the impact with the berm, the glider landed flat and hard, which crushed the landing gear. The aircraft then skidded to a halt 75 feet past the runway apron.
The investigation
The examination of the aircraft revealed that the keel beam and wing spars were broken.