Early in the Summer a very experienced and very current pilot flying an EN B glider close to the ground suffered a cascading collapse resulting in impact with the ground and serious back injuries requiring surgery. Weather conditions were within conservative parameters.
This accident falls in the risk category of "Thermic Scratching". Thermic scratching is a risk frequently taken by many pilots without accident or injury. The risk is caused by the unpredictable nature of the wind to change direction caused even by interaction with the terrain causing rotor or other strong turbulence near the ground. This type of turbulence may only set up for a few minutes a handful of times in a full day or be present for hours and only in one specific spot.
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