Event WPR14CA063

Factual narrative

The student pilot reported that during landing the glider touched down slightly left of the runway centerline. He engaged the brakes and steered the glider towards the right side of the runway to prepare for a turn. When he approached the taxiway entrance, he released the brakes and started to turn to the left. During the turn the left wing struck a runway sign; the airplane made a sharp left turn, exited the runway surface and came to rest on the grass. During the accident sequence, the left wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe that would have precluded normal operation. The student pilot reported that during landing the glider touched down slightly left of the runway centerline. He engaged the brakes and steered the glider towards the right side of the runway to prepare for a turn. When he approached the taxiway entrance, he released the brakes and started to turn to the left. During the turn the left wing struck a runway sign; the airplane made a sharp left turn, exited the runway surface and came to rest on the grass. During the accident sequence, the left wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe 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-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Student/instructed pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Sign/marker-Contributed to outcome