N462E

On August 10, 1995, at 1400 hours mountain standard time, the pilot of a Schempp-Hirth Cirrus-B glider, N462E, attempted an off-airport landing to an emergency airstrip after experiencing a loss of thermal lift while flying near Peoria, Arizona. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time. The aircraft received substantial damage during the forced landing and the pilot received minor injuries. The aircraft departed from the Pleasant Valley Airport at 1315 hours.

The pilot reported in his report that after takeoff he encountered poor lift conditions at 3,000 feet mean sea level and decided to land at a small 1,500-foot emergency airstrip. The airstrip is on a north-south orientation with an uphill slope to the north. The pilot elected to land to the north with a tailwind of 10 knots.

The pilot indicated that when he was about 200 feet above the ground on final approach he encountered a thermal lift and was unable to loose altitude despite using full spoilers. At this time, the pilot initiated an "S" turn to the left to lose altitude. During the turning maneuver, the pilot lost lift and the right wing collided with the ground. The pilot reported no mechanical problems with the glider. Afterwards, he determined that the winds were gusting up to 20 knots.