LS8-18 drops onto the runway after the pilot lets go of the stick to lower the gear
Landing among thirteen other competition gliders at Tábor, the pilot of an LS8-18 noticed only at about 2 m AGL that the gear was still up; reaching for the lever, he took a hand off the stick, and the nose-heavy glider dropped onto RWY 30, seriously injuring the pilot and substantially damaging the airframe. The pilot had flown the final glide at 222 km/h with the trim well forward, and the other hand was holding the unlocked airbrakes. The glider struck the runway on the underside of the fuselage near the threshold and slid 50 to 100 m. The task had run 328 km in 3 hours 42 minutes.
- First task of the nationals: The pilot launched at Tábor at 12:50 for the first task of the Czech national gliding championships, a course of about 328 km. The flight lasted 3 hours 42 minutes and ended back at the airfield.
- Final glide trimmed nose-heavy: The final glide began 3 km before the last turnpoint at 222 km/h from 1,499 m MSL, with the glider trimmed nose-heavy for the fast run. Speed bled back to 129 km/h with 5.5 m/s of sink on the way in.
- Gear left up in a mass arrival: About thirteen other competition gliders were landing at the same time. The pilot watched them, picked a clear strip of grass, and did not lower the landing gear before the approach.
- Hand off the stick at 2 m AGL: The pilot noticed the retracted gear at about 2 m AGL. One hand was holding the unlocked airbrake lever to stop the brakes sucking open, so he let go of the stick to push the gear lever forward.
- Uncontrolled drop onto RWY 30: At that height, and with the speed and the nose-heavy trim, there was no time to correct. The glider went into a rapid descent and struck the runway on the underside of the fuselage.
- Pilot seriously injured, glider damaged: The glider slid 50 to 100 m to a stop beside the threshold; the pilot was seriously injured and the front and rear fuselage, gear, canopy and wing controls were damaged.