The pilot was carrying out local gliding in the Bond Springs area attempting to achieve a flight time of five hours which would qualify him for a Silver C certificate. He had flown away from the vicinity of the airfield in search of lift. On returning to the airfield he became aware that he would be unable to reach the airfield and selected the only suitable area to carry out a landing. The aircraft failed to make the selected area and struck a tree during the approach, subsequently impacting the ground on the right wing and slewing through 180 degrees before coming to rest.
