IAD96LA083

The pilot stated that his weather information was what he had heard on a weather radio in the local area. When he took off there were strong winds with scattered to broken cumulus clouds in the area. Fifteen minutes after being released by the tow airplane, he noticed the 'black wall' of the cold front quickly approaching from the west. He started an immediate descent toward the field. During his approach to the field, he encountered severe turbulence and in order to avoid an extreme crosswind landing, he decided to land diagonally across the runway into the wind. Shortly before touchdown, the pilot encountered a sudden and severe down draft causing his head to hit and break the plexiglass canopy. The glider's right wing tip then hit the ground and the glider did a 360-degree 'ground-loop'.

On May 11, 1996, at 1530 eastern daylight time, a Lithuanian Sport Factory of Aviation, LAK-12 glider, N112LK, impacted the runway while attempting to land during gusty wind conditions at Woodbine Gliderport, in Woodbine, Maryland. The glider was released from the tow line at approximately 1515. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was unharmed and the glider sustained substantial damage. No flight plan had been filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

The pilot indicated that he obtained his weather information from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radio in Sterling, Virginia. The pilot stated that when he took off (Aero-tow), there were strong winds from the south with scattered to broken cumulus clouds. The pilot stated that he was released by the tow airplane at 4200 feet MSL. About 15 minutes later, the pilot stated that he became aware of the cold front (black wall) fast approaching from the west and he started an immediate descent towards the field.

During his approach to the field, the pilot stated that he encountered severe turbulence and that the winds were coming from approximately 270 degrees. The runway is oriented 03/21 degrees and is 1600 feet long by 100 feet wide. In order to avoid an extreme cross wind landing, the pilot stated that he decided to land diagonally across the runway into the wind. Shortly before touchdown at approximately 12-15 feet above the ground, the pilot stated that he encountered a sudden and severe down draft causing his head to hit and break the plexiglass canopy. The pilot stated that the glider's right wing tip then hit the ground, and the glider did a 360 degree "ground-loop" causing the damage.