VSO 10 hits steel pole in low turn towards runway after trouble lowering gear

On the circuit at Mladá Boleslav after a competition task, the pilot of a VSO 10 lost height while struggling to lower the gear; he was unhurt, but the glider hit a steel pole and was destroyed. By his account he overshot his intended turning point while busy with the gear lever on downwind, and the glider sank to about 30 m AGL, below the contest's 50 m minimum for the final turn. Short of a car scrapyard he turned left towards RWY 23; he did not see the pole, the right wing struck it about 20 m up, and the glider fell between parked cars. A field to his right could still have been used in time.

1. Circuit after a competition task: After finishing a 151 km competition task, the pilot glided in at 16:11 to join the circuit for RWY 23 behind an aerotow taking off; by his account he had not landed on that runway before.
2. Busy with the gear on downwind: He called downwind with the wheel still up and had trouble lowering it. By his account, busy with the lever, he stopped watching his position and flew past the point where he had meant to turn.
3. Below the 50 m AGL minimum: Working the gear on downwind, he sank below the competition's 50 m AGL minimum for the final turn to about 30 m AGL. The contest director radioed "Wheel".
4. Low left turn towards RWY 23: At about 25–29 m AGL, short of a car scrapyard, the pilot turned left to reach the runway, and the sink rate rose from 0.5 to 2.3 m/s. He did not see a steel pole ahead.
5. Wing strikes pole; glider destroyed: At about 92 km/h the right wing struck the unmarked 23 m pole about 20 m above its base and tore; the glider rotated into the ground between parked cars. The pilot was unhurt.