What happened
On July 26, 2009, a Glasflugel Standard Libelle, registration N3872, was involved in an accident near Faribault, Minnesota. The pilot had completed two flights earlier that day; the first flight lasted 40 minutes and showed no anomalies. During the second flight, which lasted approximately 2.5 hours, the pilot performed a before-landing check of the dive brakes and noted they closed normally.
During the downwind leg of the approach, the pilot extended and locked the dive brakes. The pilot reported that the brakes were difficult to open during extension. Subsequently, the dive brakes could not be retracted during the approach. Due to the inability to retract the brakes, the pilot flew a closer traffic pattern, which resulted in a steep approach. The right wing tip struck the ground, and the aircraft experienced a hard landing on the grass area adjacent to Runway 30.
The accident resulted in 1 minor injury and no fatalities. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, including a separation of the fuselage several feet forward of the empennage.