Standard Cirrus 75 ground-loops after a hard outlanding touchdown without a hold-off

Landing out near Obora at the end of a cross-country flight, the pilot of a Standard Cirrus 75 was unhurt and the glider substantially damaged when the pilot put it down hard without a hold-off and it ground-looped in a cereal crop. Out of lift, the pilot spent height searching for a microlight strip, did not find it and had to fly straight in to the first suitable field. The field sloped down to a forest at its far end. To stop short of the trees the pilot pushed the glider onto the ground fast; the right wing caught the crop and the rear fuselage broke off as the glider swung round. The report judged the decision to land out correct.

1. Cross-country flight from Medlánky: The pilot was aerotowed from RWY 16 at Brno-Medlánky at 12:45 for a recreational cross-country flight via Nové Město and Boskovice back to Medlánky.
2. Out of lift on the last leg: Near Boskovice on the way home the pilot lost the thermal, found no other lift and decided to break off the flight and land out.
3. Height spent hunting for a strip: The navigation display showed the Bořitov microlight strip on the track. The pilot searched for it from about 500 m AGL and did not find it, while the glider kept losing height.
4. First suitable field, straight in: Forced to take the first suitable field, a standing cereal crop south of Obora, the pilot had no height for a look-around turn and flew straight in from the north with a slight tailwind.
5. Field slopes down to a forest: During the landing the pilot realised the field sloped down in the landing direction and ended in forest. The pilot said the slope could not be seen from the cockpit.
6. Glider pushed onto the ground: To avoid running into the trees, the pilot did not hold off but pushed the glider onto the ground at higher speed.
7. Wing catches crop, ground loop: In the landing roll the right wing caught the crop and the glider swung round. The rear fuselage broke ahead of the fin, the tailplane tore from its fitting and the canopy broke.