N101AZ

On Friday, June 18, 1993, at 1400 eastern daylight time, a Start Fuge, H 101 Salto, a glider, N101AZ, registered to and piloted by Walter Parrasch, sustained substantial damage during a landing at Bolton Field, Columbus, Ohio. The pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR 91.

The pilot extended his landing pattern for a powered airplane. He then decided that he would be unable to land in the planned area, so he selected another grass area on which to land. During the landing roll the glider struck a ditch, and the tail section was torn off.

The pilot said, "I landed safely and I was on my final rollout, when suddenly the drainage ditch appeared, which I did not know was there. This was my first landing at this airport and [I] did not realize there was a drainage ditch in my path."

In a telephone interview conducted on September 9, 1993, the pilot stated that he had arrived at this airport for the first time on the morning of the accident. He said that glider flying was not usually conducted at this airport. He felt that they should have been using the paved runway rather than the grass.

Mr. Richard D. Blazso, an Aviation Safety Inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration, stated in his report, "Due to conflicting powered aircraft, the pilot extended his base leg, which made him elect to land on the grass strip next to the taxiway. Touchdown and landing were normal. Aircraft rolled approximately 150 yards and struck a small ditch..."