What happened
On June 30, 2009, a Rolladen Schneider LS8-18 glider was conducting a cross-country flight after departing from Salland glider airfield. After approximately three and a half hours of flight, the pilot encountered insufficient thermal lift, leading to a loss of altitude that necessitated an outlanding. The pilot selected a mown grassland area near Kloosterhaar as the landing site.
During the final approach, the pilot found that even with full deployment of the airbrakes, the aircraft was not losing altitude quickly enough to land within the boundaries of the chosen field. To rectify this, the pilot initiated a 360-degree turn to bleed off height. While performing this maneuver, the pilot frequently looked over the shoulder to monitor the landing site. This loss of focus on airspeed caused the aircraft to decelerate excessively, leading to a stall of the right wing and a subsequent spin.
The aircraft descended uncontrollably into a grain field. The impact began with the right wingtip striking the ground and breaking off, followed by the aircraft rotating around the wingtip and striking the ground with the underside of the nose. The aircraft was unrecoverably damaged, and the pilot sustained serious injuries.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the written statement provided by the pilot. No further physical investigation or technical analysis was conducted. The investigation confirmed that the pilot held a valid Glider Pilot License (GPL) and a current medical certificate at the time of the accident. Weather conditions at the time of the occurrence were favorable, with visibility exceeding ten kilometers and light winds from the north-northwest.