COMMERCIAL PLT RETURNS TO LAND GLIDER AT DEP ARPT EVEN THOUGH THE ARPT WAS CLOSED FOR AN AIRSHOW DUE TO RUNNING OUT OF SOARING LIFT ON AN ATTEMPTED CROSS-COUNTRY FLT.

Narrative

PLT WAS ON A TRAINING/PROFICIENCY SOARING FLT FROM HINCKLEY ARPT TO SKY SOARING ARPT AND RETURN; A DISTANCE OF 59.6 NAUTICAL MI. PLT HAD PROCEEDED ABOUT 15 MI FROM HIS DEP WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED POORER SOARING CONDITIONS THAN FORECASTED. ABANDONING HIS TASK HE ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO HINCKLEY ARPT. BUT ENCOUNTERED CONTINUED SINK MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO REACH HINCKLEY FROM THE ALT HE WAS AT. HIS COURSE LINE WAS 5 MI E OF DE KALB ARPT WHERE HE KNEW THE ARPT WAS CLOSED DUE TO AN AIRSHOW TAKING PLACE. FINDING AN AREA OF ZERO SINK NE OF THE ARPT THE PLT WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN AN ALT OF 1700 FT MSL FOR CLOSE TO 15 MINS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DETERMINE IF THERE WAS BETTER LIFT IN THE AREA IN ORDER TO GAIN ENOUGH ALT TO MAKE IT BACK TO HINCKLEY. NONE WAS FOUND AND ADDITIONAL ALT WAS LOST FORCING A LNDG DECISION. BECAUSE THE FARM CROPS WERE OF SUFFICIENT HT TO MAKE AN OFF-ARPT LNDG EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS IT WAS DECIDED TO LAND AT DE KALB ARPT. PLT LANDED TO THE W ON THE GRASS S OF THE ARPT'S E- W HARD SURFACE RWY. TOUCHDOWN; ROLLOUT AND STOP CONSUMED LESS THAN 200 FT. HE HAD THE HIGHER AIRSHOW TFC IN SIGHT AND WAS NOT IN CONFLICT WITH THAT TFC AS HE WAS VERY LOW AND ABLE TO MAINTAIN A SHALLOW GLIDE ANGLE. PLT AND GLIDER WERE AERO-RETRIEVED FROM THE ARPT AFTER THE AIRSHOW CONCLUDED.