L-13 Blaník strikes its tailplane on tall grain in an outlanding

Outlanding near Rousměrov after a thermal flight from Křižanov: the pilot of an L-13 Blaník, who had never landed off-field before, landed in standing grain and the tailplane struck the crop; he was unhurt, the tailplane destroyed and the rear fuselage substantially damaged. He had left the last weak climb at about 510 m AGL and glided towards a cumulus over sunlit forest without first choosing a field, then met heavy sink that took him to about 200 m AGL. From there he picked a large field by the road, flew a left circuit round it and touched down into a light wind.

1. Thermal flight away from the field: The pilot released over Křižanov, climbed to about 1,320 m AGL, then glided about 18 km northwest and was down to roughly 390 m AGL near Ostrov nad Oslavou before finding weak lift.
2. Cloud chased, no field chosen: The weak climb reached only about 510 m AGL. Rather than pick a landing field from there, the pilot glided on towards a prominent cumulus standing over sunlit forest.
3. Heavy sink over the forest: Over the woodland the glider met strong sink and came down to about 200 m AGL. The country around Rousměrov is broken and wooded and carries several power lines.
4. Field picked at about 200 m: The pilot turned towards Rousměrov and chose a large field southeast of the village, close to a road for help and for the trailer. Rape in nearby fields was visible from the air and ruled them out.
5. Tall crop on the chosen field: The pilot flew a left circuit round the field to look it over, began the pattern at about 120 m AGL and turned base at about 86 m AGL. The barley stood tall; parts of the field looked waterlogged.
6. Tailplane strikes the crop: Final ran from about 30 m AGL at 106 km/h, eased to 88 km/h before touchdown. The wheel ran on smoothly and no wing caught, but the tailplane struck the barley and the rear fuselage was damaged.