LAX07CA223

The glider sustained damage during a hard landing. A wind gust was encountered during the glider pilot's landing flare and the glider rapidly descended from 2 to 3 feet above the runway until touching down hard, collapsing the main landing gear and breaking structural bulkheads in the fuselage. The pilot's approach to the runway had been uneventful and appeared normal until the landing flare, according to a certified flight instructor who witnessed the accident.

On July 7, 2007, about 1455 Pacific daylight time, a Burkhart Grob Flugzeugbau G102 Astir CS, N132SS, made a hard landing on runway 19 at the Truckee-Tahoe Airport, Truckee, California. The glider was owned and operated by the Northern California Soaring Association, Byron, California, and it was substantially damaged. The private pilot was not injured during the personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and it originated from Truckee about 1330.

The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator during interviews conducted on July 7 and August 6, that he had made a normal traffic pattern approach to the runway. However, between 2 and 3 feet above the runway a gust was encountered. The glider "came down faster than normal and the landing felt hard." The center landing gear collapsed on touchdown.

A certified flight instructor, who was located at the airport, reported that the glider's approach to the runway appeared normal until during the landing when it was approximately 3 feet above ground level. At that time "the glider dropped to the runway."

At 1455, the airport's wind direction and speed was recorded. It was from 230 degrees at 8 knots.

The glider's structure was examined by an FAA certificated Airframe and Powerplant mechanic. The mechanic reported observing damage to the undercarriage in the vicinity of the center gear and abrasion damage to belly skin. The main front frame bulkhead was observed bent and broken in the vicinity of the center gear housing. The rear bulkhead in the fuselage structure was also bent on the right side behind the location of the center gear.