Incident Details
A LET Super Blanik L23 glider, operated as a training flight with a flight instructor and a student pilot aboard, was towed to an altitude of 2,700 feet above the airport. The student pilot then performed a series of maneuvers. Subsequently, the student pilot began a descent toward a midfield downwind entry at approximately 1,500 feet above the airport. During the descent, turbulence from an approaching rain shower increased, prompting the flight instructor to take control of the glider.
The flight instructor flew the remainder of the downwind leg and the base leg at 70 knots with full spoilers deployed because the glider would not descend. While turning onto final approach and heading into the wind, the glider experienced an extremely strong sink rate from which the flight instructor could not recover. The glider subsequently landed hard approximately 100 feet short of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the aircraft.
Weather Conditions
Shortly after the landing, light rain began to fall on the airport, and thunder was audible in the distance. Ten minutes later, lightning was observed 2 miles southeast of the airport, and the winds decreased, remaining at less than 10 knots for the rest of the afternoon.
Pilot Experience
The flight instructor reported a total flight time of over 9,600 hours, with 3,700 hours as pilot in command of gliders.