What happened
While flying approximately 6 miles northwest of the airport, the pilot encountered conditions characterized by very little lift and significant sinking air. After searching south for better conditions without success, the pilot decided to return to the airport to land. As the sink rate increased, the pilot elected to perform a landing in a nearby farm field.
During the landing maneuver, the pilot flew beneath a power line to avoid a collision. However, the left wing tip struck the top wire of a barbed wire fence. The glider then collided with a mound of dirt. The sequence of events involved the aircraft impacting a pile of dirt, hitting the top of a fence, striking a roadway, and traveling across that road through a second fence.
The investigation
An investigation by an FAA inspector noted that the pilot had bypassed a predeveloped subdivision containing approximately 3,000 feet of straight, paved roadway. The inspector also noted that there were approximately 300 acres of open land available for a suitable landing area.
The aircraft sustained damage to the horizontal stabilizer, the elevator, and the leading edges of both wings. Additionally, the right wing spar was broken, and the main keel of the fuselage was broken.