Accident Details
On January 25, 2008, at approximately 1200 Pacific standard time, a Schweizer SGS 2-32 glider, registration N87R, was substantially damaged when it collided with a runway sign and light during taxiing at Hollister Municipal Airport (CVH) in Hollister, California. The flight instructor and her student pilot were not injured. The flight was conducted by a private individual under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local instructional flight, which had originated about 10 minutes before the accident. No flight plan was filed.
Flight History
The glider flight instructor was providing instruction to a student pilot with 12 hours of flight experience. According to the instructor, weather conditions were deteriorating rapidly, with cloud bases at 3,900 feet and wind from 110 degrees at 30 knots, gusting to 37 knots. The tow departure was on runway 13. The instructor reported encountering light rain during the tow. The flight remained in the traffic pattern with left-hand turns, and the landing was uneventful.
Taxiing Incident
After landing, the student pilot turned the glider off the runway onto a high-speed taxiway. During taxi, the glider began drifting to the left. The left wing subsequently struck a runway sign and light. The impact indented the left wing's leading edge approximately 10 inches to the spar. The left inboard aileron was wrinkled and bent. The glider owner noted that the flight instructor was delayed in taking control of the glider during the taxi.
Aircraft Damage
The glider sustained substantial damage to its left wing structure. The leading edge indentation reached the spar, and the inboard aileron required repair or replacement. No other damage was reported.