Astir CS, VH-WUN, 40 km south-south-east of Loxton, South Australia, on 10 November 1989

Circumstances:

The pilot had completed the first leg of a 300 kilometre flight and was positioning the glider so that he could take a photograph of some silos. During the process the main landing gear was released. The pilot leant forward to pull on the landing gear retract column and was afflicted by a painful spasm of the stomach muscle. The pain persisted so the pilot decided to make an outlanding in a large wheat field. The pilot saw a power line near the western end of the paddock but decided to land in the paddock since it was otherwise suitable and he had sufficient height to fly over the wire. However, the glider encountered sink on final approach and collided with the wire. The wire struck the canopy of the glider and arrested its forward motion before the wire broke. The glider then fell to the ground.

Significant Factors:

The following factors were considered relevant to the development of the accident:

1. The pilot suffered an inflight incapacitation which necessitated an outlanding.
2. The glider encountered an increased sink rate on final approach.
3. The pilot was unable to avoid a collision with a power line.