Event GAA18CA557

Factual narrative

The pilot in the retractable landing gear-equipped glider, reported that during flight he could no longer find lift, and selected a field for landing. During the approach, he did not use the before landing checklist, and he forgot to extend his landing gear. The glider landed on the lower fuselage and skidded across the grass surface before it collided with a barbed wire fence. The glider sustained substantial damage to the canopy, the fuselage, and the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot in the retractable-landing gear-equipped glider reported that, during flight, he could no longer find lift, so he selected a field for landing. During the approach, he did not use the Before Landing checklist, and he forgot to extend the landing gear. The glider landed on the lower fuselage and skidded across the grass surface before it collided with a barbed wire fence. The glider sustained substantial damage to the canopy, fuselage, and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the glider that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Gear extension and retract sys-Not used/operated - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Fence/fence post-Contributed to outcome