Schleicher ASW-27 N920KB accident near Montague, California

Probable cause

The pilot’s inability to see and avoid a piece of loose wire in a field during an off-airport landing in a glider, which resulted in a ground loop. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inability to maintain a safe position behind the tow airplane after taking off which required them to release from tow at too low of an altitude to return to the airport.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that he was piloting a glider while being towed by a tow airplane. Shortly after takeoff, and during a turn, the glider lost safe positioning behind the tow airplane and climbed above it due to a possible wind gust. The pilot deemed he would not be able to recover to a safe position and released the tow rope about 300 ft AGL. The pilot determined he could not make a turn back to the airport and elected to conduct an off-airport landing on a nearby field. During the landing a wingtip caught a section of loose wire that was hidden in tall grass in the field, which resulted in a ground loop. The tail boom fractured, resulting in substantial damage to the glider. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical anomalies that contributed to the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR26LA263 for the full record.