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Old June 3rd 20, 07:39 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Roy B.
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Default Landout at Class C or D tower-controlled airport?

David,
I agree with you that "intuitively, landing at an airport is safer than a land out" but the reason I challenged your statement that ""did you know that nearly 50% of glider landing fatalities happen during off-airport landings?" is the risk that the new pilots in this forum may think that stretching a marginal glide to an airport is "safer" than a properly executed off field landing. And it's not safer at all.

What the data (and particularly the 2018 SSF data cited in your last post)shows is that most of the off field landing accidents were landings that were rushed: rushed because the pilot was thermalling low and made a last second effort to land, or rushed because at the last minute the pilot realized he was not going to make the home airport, rushed because the pilot changed field selection at the last minute, or rushed because the pilot got low and had no "plan B" . Two of the landings were on highways with resulting damage from road signs and barriers. 3 were tree strikes during botched rushed landings.

That's not an indictment of off field landings per se (which when properly planned and executed are quite safe). Rather its an indictment of poor and late aeronautical decision making.

Let's not give the newbies the impression that they should be scared of a well planned and carefully executed off field landing - in favor of an even scarier marginal glide back to the airport.

ROY