Landing over an obstacle or a wire requires skill and  vigilance. The first goal in landing over an obstacle is to  clear the obstacle! Next, consider how the obstacle affects the  length of landing area that is actually going to be available for  touchdown, roll out, and stopping the glider. If an obstacle  is 50 feet high, the first 500 feet or so of the landing area  needs to be overflown during the descent to flare and land.  If the field selected has obstacles on the final approach path,  remember that the field must be long enough to accommodate  the descent to flare altitude after clearing the obstacle. Hold the glider off during the flare and touch down at the  lowest safe speed manageable. After touchdown, use the wheel  brake immediately and vigorously to stop the glider as soon as  possible. Aggressive braking helps prevent collision with small  stakes, ditches, rocks, or other obstacles that cannot easily be  seen, especially if the vegetation in the field is tall. If uninjured, tend to personal needs and then secure the  glider. Make contact with the retrieval crew or emergency  crew as promptly as possible. If the wait is likely to be long,  use the daylight to remove all items necessary for darkness  and cold. It is worth remembering that even a normal  retrieval can take many hours if the landing was made in  difficult terrain or in an area served by relatively few roads.  If cellular service is available, use a cell phone to call 911  if you are concerned about personal safety. Glider pilots  should always consider alternate means of communication  to include satellite telephones and ham radios as cell phone  service is not always available. To help identify position,  relay the GPS coordinates, if available, to ease the job for the  retrieval crew or rescue personnel. It is a good idea to write  down the GPS coordinates if the GPS battery is exhausted  or if the GPS receiver shuts down for any reason. Use the  glider two-way radio to broadcast needs on the international  distress frequency 121.5 MHz. Many aircraft, including civil  airliners, routinely monitor this frequency. Their great height  gives the line-of-sight aviation transceiver tremendous range  when transmitting to, or receiving from, these high-altitude  aircraft. Calling other glider pilots in the area on the glider-to- glider radio frequency can hasten retrieval or rescue. Another  tool for pilots is the personal locator device offered by several  companies as a rescue device. These devices use the 406  MHz satellite signal, and global positioning system (GPS)  technology to accurately track and relay the pilot’s location  in the event of an off-field landing requiring assistance. Once contact has been made with outsiders to arrange for  retrieval, attend to minor items, such as collecting any special  tools that are needed for glider derigging or installing gust  locks on the glider’s flight controls. If injured, tend to critical injuries first. At the first opportunity,  make contact with emergency response personnel, with other  aircraft, or any other source of identifiable assistance. Use  the glider radio, if operable, to broadcast a Mayday distress  call on emergency frequency 121.5 MHz. Also, try any other  frequency likely to elicit a response. Some gliders have an  Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) on board. If the glider  is equipped with an ELT and assistance is needed, turn it  on. The ELT broadcasts continuous emergency signals on  121.5 MHz. Search aircraft can hone in on this ELT signal  using radio equipment designed for search and rescue  (SAR). These SAR-equipped aircraft reduce the time spent  searching for the pilot’s exact location. To transmit a voice  message on an operable two-way radio at 121.5 MHz, turn  the ELT switch to OFF for the voice message to be heard.  The newer ELTs, like the 406 MHz Emergency Position  Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs), are becoming more  popular because of their substantial benefits. Only ATC  ground stations routinely monitor 121.5 MHz anymore and  that is line-of-sight reception only. The newer EPIRBs have  stronger signals, transmit longer, and are monitored by the  satellite network. According to CFR part 91, gliders are  not airplanes and therefore old very high frequency (VHF)  ELTs are not required, which is why a EPIRB would make  a much better choice when flying a glider. If mobile (cell)  phone coverage is available, dial 911 to contact emergency  personnel. If possible, include a clear description of the  location. If the glider is in a precarious position, secure it, if  possible, but do not risk further personal injury in doing so.  If it is clearly unsafe to stay with the glider, move to a nearby  location for shelter but leave clear written instructions in a  prominent location in the glider detailing where to find you. It is best to stay with the glider if at all possible. The glider  bulk is likely to be much easier to locate from the air than  is an individual person. The pilot might obtain a measure of  protection from the elements by crawling into the fuselage or  crawling under a wing, or using the parachute canopy to rig  a makeshift tent around the glider structure. After attending  to medical needs and contacting rescue personnel, attend to  clothing, food, and water issues. The pilot should make every  attempt to conserve energy. Instrument failures can result from careless maintenance  practices and from internal or external causes. An example  of careless maintenance is removal and replacement of the  airspeed indicator but failure to connect the instrument  correctly to pitot and static lines. A pitot tube clogged by  insects or water ingress is an example of an external cause  of instrument failure. Off-Field Landing With Injury System and Equipment Malfunctions Flight Instrument Malfunctions 8-20 Afterlanding Off Field  Off-Field Landing Without Injury